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THE PSYCHOLOGY 
OF BEHAVIOUR 



THE PSYCHOLOGY 
OF BEHAVIOUR 

A Practical Study of Human Personality 

and Conduct with Special Reference 

to Methods of Development 



BY 

ELIZABETH SEVERN 

Author of "Psycho-Therapy" 




NEW YORK 

DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 
1920 






Copyright, 1917 
By ELIZABETH SEVERN 



/ 

J/ 77 



Si 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER I 



jrs 



PAGE 

Some New Aspects of Mind — The Psychology of the 

Unconscious « 1 

Growth of Psychological Inquiry — The Value of the 
Metaphysical Viewpoint — Applied Psychology dis- 
closes Human Motives and points the way to In- 
dividual Development — Introspection and Observation 
the best Methods — What determines Behaviour — 
How Mind and Character can be Formed — The 
Superman a Scientific Possibility — The Office of 
Hypnotism, Psycho-analysis, etc., in determining the 
Mental Content — The Nature of Consciousness and 
of Thought— Various Levels of Consciousness — The 
Subconsciousness as the Seat of Innate Intelligence, 
Common Sense, and Intuition — How the Mind 
Works, and the Unification of the Personality — The 
Self as the Organizing, Controlling Force — Uncon- 
scious Thinking — The Source of Memory, Feeling, 
Instinct, Intuition, Premonition, Inspiration, Genius, 
etc. — Manifestations of Consciousness in Sleep and 
Dreams; How to utilize this Aspect — The Plasticity 
of the Mind; Suggestion and what it is; its Use and 
Limitations; The Power of Influence; Auto-sugges- 
tion — The Will to Believe — The Power of Affirma- 
tion: Means of Developing the "Positive" Mentality 
— The Relation of the Personal to the Cosmic Con- 
sciousness. 

CHAPTER II 
Intellect — The Psychology of Perception .... 53 

Intellect, the Objective Self-Knowing Phase of Con- 
sciousness — Distinctions between It and the Uncon- 
v 



vi CONTENTS 

PAGE 

scious — Intellect our only Medium for Reaching the In- 
terior Consciousness — Its Attribute of Discrimination 
renders it the Guiding Faculty — Comparable to the 
"man at the head" of any Large Organization — How 
to Train the Intellect — Development of Judgment 
and Sense of Values — Reasoning, Conscious and Sub- 
conscious — Importance of Logic — Intellect as the 
Supplying Agent — Intellect as the Adjusting Agent — 
Intellect as the Controlling Agent — Developing At- 
tention — Importance of Sustaining it with Interest 
and Desire — Concentration, means of Development 
— How far Objective Matters should be made Auto- 
matic — Objective Control of Internal Organs of the 
Body — Value of Voluntary Passivity and Meditation 
— An Antidote to Modern Excessiveness and Over- 
Stimulation — Unconscious Rumination — Directed 
Thinking and Value of "Silence" — Intellect the Door 
to the Greater Possibilities of the Mind. 



CHAPTER III 

Imagination and Memory — The Psychology of Ex- 
tension and Retention 110 

Imagination: Reproductive — Impressibility of the 
Mind — Memory, Conscious and Subconscious — Noth- 
ing is Ever Forgotten — A Good Memory Dependent 
on Concentration — Fixed Ideas — The Imaginative 
Temperament — Readjustment of Mental Images — 
Imagination: Productive — The Source of Originality 
— Imagination the Inception of all Action — Con- 
scious Visualization — Two Kinds of Imaginative 
Thinking, a. The Aimless; b. The Directed — The 
Value of Reverie and Relaxed Thinking — The Imagi- 
nation an Outlet for Repressed Energies — The Cause 
of Intoxication — All Mental Images must Materialize 
— Expectation Plus Intention — The Pathology of 
Repressed Imagination — Loss of the Sense of Reality 
— Education of the Child's Imagination — "Imagi- 
nary" Diseases — Dangers of Uncontrolled Imagina- 
tion — All Mental Images Should Materialize in 
Action — Transmuting Undesirable Mental Images. 



CONTENTS vii 

CHAPTER IV 

PAGE 

Will — The Psychology of Action 146 

Will Synonymous with Power: a Basic Manifesta- 
tion of the Life-Force and Representative of the 
Volition of the Universal Mind — Will is Desire in 
Action — Will-power vs. Fate — Free-will: dependent 
upon Unity with the Universal Will — Shallow Con- 
ceptions of Will — All Actions are the Expression 
of Desire — Conflict Between Conscious and Uncon- 
scious Will — Will to be Successful must be: a. 
Unified in Itself; b. Concentrated in its Action; c. 
Balanced with Intellect and Emotion — The Weakness 
of Indecision — Lack of Self-knowledge in Questions 
of Desire — Need of Choosing a Goal — Need of Re- 
flection before Action — The Dangers of Negativity — 
Lack of Self- Confidence — Following Lines of Least 
Resistance — The Force of Habit — Influence of Opin- 
ions of Others — Conflict of Will with Emotion — 
Erratic Results of the Use of the Will — Different 
Phases of the Personality Assume Control — Need of 
Unity in the Desires — Need of Belief in Desire as a 
Guide — When Emotions Frustrate Will — How to 
Develop the Will — Overdoing the Use of the Will — 
Effortless Activity — Three Steps in any Act of the 
Will: Concept, Intention, Execution — -The Discrep- 
ancy Between Intention and Execution Man's Great- 
est Weakness — The Importance of Intention — Leads 
to Executive Ability — Executiveness Without Crea- 
tiveness — The Need of the Affirmative Attitude — 
Mastery of the Power of the Unconscious — Deter- 
mination the Equivalent of Causation. 



t 



CHAPTER V 

Emotion — The Psychology of Feeling 191 

Feeling a Generic Motive Power — Instinct is Physio- 
logical Feeling; Emotion is Psychological Feeling — 
Impulse is Unconscious Feeling — Civilization repre- 
sents the Development of an Awareness and Control 
of Feeling — Emotion now largely Superseded by 
Intellect — Feeling affords Deeper Revelation than 
Intellect — Emotional Repression and its Dangers — 
Applied Psychology establishes the Balance between 



viii CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Will Power and Emotional Power — Study of the 
four principal Negative Emotions: Fear, Anger, 
Grief, Self-love — When reduced to their Constructive 
Elements these become Positive Emotions — Confi- 
dence, Love, Joy, and Expansiveness — Necessity and 
Value of Emotion — Dangers in Excessive or Uncon- 
trolled Emotion — Pleasure and Pain: terms repre- 
sentative of Desire Satisfied (positive form), Desire 
Unsatisfied (negative form) — Superiority to either 
Pleasure or Pain the Ideal State — The Need of 
Natural Expression — Study of Subconscious Conflicts 
and Inhibitions — Psycho-analysis as an Interpreter 
of the Subconscious Emotional Life — Harmonizing 
Incompatible Mental and Emotional States: a. by 
Conscious Recognition and Transmutation; b. by 
Re-education and Development of True Sensuousness 
— Pathological Results of Internal Discords — Various 
Emotional Outlets: Wit and Laughter, Play, 
Dramatization, Music, Dancing, Painting, Crafts- 
manship, Intoxication, and various Psycho-neurotie 
States — Abstract Emotions: Love of Beauty, Free- 
dom, Wisdom, Humanity, Truth — The Joy of Re- 
sponsiveness — How to Balance Emotion and Intellect. 

CHAPTER VI 
Sex — The Psychology of the Creative Life . . .281 

Sex of Paramount Importance — General Ignorance 
concerning it — The Necessity for Clear Knowledge — 
Definition of Sex as the great Creative Principle — 
The Psychology of Sex Undeveloped as yet — Should 
be treated Metaphysically and Philosophically, as 
well as Psychologically — The Pathology of Sex — 
Sex-Education should begin in Childhood — The Idea 
of "Animal Instincts" repressed in the Human 
Consciousness — Study of Natural Sciences in Child- 
hood a Partial Corrective — Misconceptions Concern- 
ing Sex — Its Personal Value not less Important than 
its Racial Value — Sex not merely a Physical Func- 
tion — Instinctive Sex: Appetite or Sensation Only — 
Sex as an Emotion or Idea — Regeneration and 
Transmutation: Mental and Moral Creativeness — 
Analysis of the Sex-Feeling — Based on the Positive 
and Negative Elements contained in the Masculine 



CONTENTS ix 

PAGE 

and Feminine Principles — Man Positive on the Ex- 
ternal Plane, Woman Positive on the Internal Plane 
— Woman the True Leader in all Sex-Relations — 
Co-operation and Equality the Secret of Sex-Happi- 
ness — Personal Possibilities in Sex: a. Physical, b. 
Emotional (Analysis of the Love-Feeling), c. 
Psychical, d. Intellectual, e. Spiritual (Search for 
the Ideal and the Completion of the Self) — Social 
and Economic Problems in Relation to the Personal 
Sex-Problem. 

CHAPTER VII 
Self — The Psychology of the Ego 328 

Self the Unity underlying all Psychological Phe- 
nomena — Synonymous with Individuality — The True 
Source of all Behaviour — Personality the Aggregate 
of External Characteristics — The Self-feeling should 
be Developed in* its Positive Forms — Its Negative 
Forms lead to the Pathology of the Personality — 
Suicide and Insanity due to Derangement or Absence 
of the Self -feeling — What is an Ideal Character? 
Types of Personalities — Sanguine, Melancholic, Chol- 
eric, Lymphatic — The Purpose of Experience — The 
Development of Personality — Self Culture in its Spir- 
itual Sense the Key to all High Behaviour. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY 
OF BEHAVIOUR 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 
BEHAVIOUR 

CHAPTEE I 

SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE UNCONSCIOUS 

The study of man's thoughts, feelings, and 
motives is a universally fascinating one. Even 
the least thoughtful of us love to watch and 
speculate upon our neighbours ' actions and 
have sometimes an even greater interest for our 
own. Any extensive or careful analysis, how- 
ever, of " human nature' ' has been left almost 
entirely to the great philosophers and moral- 
izers, for the very good reason that the common 
knowledge of the human mind and its springs of 
action has been too limited and uncertain to 
allow of any satisfactory conclusions by the lay- 
man. Perhaps also it is because the race as a 
whole has been so engrossed with purely ma- 

I 



2 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

terial pursuits as to remain naively uncon- 
scious, for the most part, of the fact that it even 
possessed a Mind. 

Modern Psychology has now changed all this 
and we are today embarking upon new voyages, 
sailing for shores not too clearly perceived, but 
with a serene confidence that the way is being 
charted even as we go, and that we will surely 
reach a goal. There is no doubt but that the 
present day interest in Mental Science and va- 
rious psychological problems is one of the more 
hopeful signs of the times and of man's general 
growth and evolution. The demand for au- 
thoritative literature on the subject is growing 
rapidly and the greediness of the public for 
even very poor food, if it but be labelled "psy- 
chological, ' ' is a living proof of the need, and a 
readiness for new light. 

Psychology has long been taught after a 
fashion in the Universities, but as the habit of 
academicians is, in the nature of their case, to 
stick tightly to what is called ' ' positive science, ' ' 
it has remained for a growing public to voice 
its want of something more vital and "appli- 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 3 

cable' ' in this field; to bring out of the dry dust 
of polemical discussion into the liveness and 
activity of everyday affairs, the facts and 
principles which our researchers have long been 
labouring to develop and formulate. 

Owing partly to its "newness" and partly to 
having been juggled at the hands of untrained 
adherents of the "movement," "applied psy- 
chology" is still suffering from many incrusta- 
tions of ignorance, even in its own ranks, and 
still more from the prejudices of its misappre- 
hending critics. That its greatest usefulness is 
yet to be developed is apparent, as so far it has 
been greatly hampered by the narrowness of the 
purely academical viewpoint on the one hand, 
and by the unwarranted claims of its enthusias- 
tic but ill-informed adherents on the other. 

The present work is an attempt on the part 
of the writer to elucidate some of these tangled 
threads, and to make a small but new contribu- 
tion to a rapidly growing science — a contribu- 
tion which has been developed through a wide 
experience as a practising Psycho-therapist, in 
a field where there is an almost unlimited op- 



4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

portunity for the study of human motives, needs 
and failures. 

The viewpoint is frankly metaphysical rather 
than biological, and idealistic and suggestive 
rather than materialistic and " positive.' ' Yet 
sight has not been lost of the need of exactitude, 
where it is so easy to be vague ; and emphasis 
has been placed upon the governing principles 
of human conduct rather than upon its particu- 
lar phases. Metaphysical questions such as the 
differences, if there are any, between Mind and 
Matter, the extent of their mutual reactions, or 
where one begins and the other ends, are not 
discussed ; but that personality and its impulses 
are explainable, and that there is in the human 
mind a power which is definitely available for 
great ends, is the premise and main thesis of 
this work. This is not a new discovery; such 
has been the belief of the great thinkers of all 
time. It has merely remained for modern 
Psychology to furnish a better key for unlock- 
ing these latent forces of the human mind, open 
ing up to our vision treasures and possibilities 
hitherto unattainable. 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 5 

Foremost among these discoveries is the fact 
that character and mentality are plastic things, 
capable of indefinite modification — a simple 
enough statement, but of far reaching signifi- 
cance. There has long been a curious fatalism 
prevalent in our estimate of " character ' ' ; we 
have believed ourselves doomed to carry 
through life just that with which we were born 
— character being used in this sense to signify 
mental and moral strength and capacity. The 
idea of "developing" his faculties has never 
entered to any extent into man's estimate of 
himself, regarding as he has, his particular 
quota of instincts, traits, and tendencies, as 
either God-given or inherited from his long- 
gone ancestors and therefore, immutable. 
Strangely enough the faults and defects are all 
usually attributed to the poor ancestors, while 
even the Deity doesn't receive much credit for 
the virtues when they exist! The Idealism of 
today has fortunately made us more or less dis- 
satisfied with "things as they are," especially 
with our mental equipment and our habitually 
poor use of what Ave have. The prevalence of 



6 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

the phrase "improve your mind" is a trivial 
but significant indication of the trend of the 
times. 

Furthermore, we have not only come to be- 
lieve in " improvement, ' ' but it is personal self- 
improvement that interests us most. The tend- 
ency of modern education in all its phases is 
distinctly away from that kind of culture that 
comes by plastering on new ideas from the out- 
side ; it aims rather to draw out of each individ- 
ual his latent and undeveloped faculties, much 
as Luther Burbank and others have developed 
strange and beautiful products in the plant 
world by studying the potentialities of plant life 
and providing different and more helpful con- 
ditions of growth. 

The process of mental growth is not essen- 
tially different from that observable in all 
phases of nature. The force that works 
through the mind of man is similar to, if not 
the same, as that in the growing plant, the only 
vital difference being that man is a self -'knowing 
creature and undertakes consciously and volun- 
tarily that which in the lower forms is the 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 7 

product of a blind, instinctive life-force. The 
plant passes through birth, growth, experience, 
unf oldment and dissolution. It follows certain 
immutable laws and traverses unconsciously a 
whole gamut of experience. On another plane, 
human beings are going the same way, acted 
upon by great laws of which they have little or 
no cognizance, but hurrying nevertheless to the 
fulfilment of their destiny. This process takes 
place in every human life, but with this differ- 
ence from the lower orders : with each degree of 
knowledge and awareness developed, more 
effort is required. Our whole progress and ex- 
perience, whether we know it or not, is, and 
should be, an endeavour to obtain more knowl- 
edge of the laws governing our existence and 
expression, thereby enabling us to become Mas- 
ters rather than mere pawns in the scheme of 
things. In so far as we understand this great 
principle and ally ourselves to it, bringing the 
pressure of our Wills and Knowledge to bear 
upon our problems, in so far will we achieve 
success in its highest sense and make real the 
ideal called the Superman. 



8 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

To take up the question seriously of delib- 
erately acquiring the mental and moral charac- 
teristics we desire, it is first necessary to under- 
stand the implements with which we have to 
work — i.e., to analyse and learn to handle the 
various and complex elements of the human 
mind. For this we must turn to the findings of 
Psychology, a field where in the last few decades 
startling revelations have been set forth con- 
cerning the hitherto little known workings of 
the human consciousness. For, strange to say, 
such knowledge as we had in this domain of sci- 
ence was more in the nature of philosophical 
generalizations rather than a means for exact 
judgment of human thoughts and conduct. 
Somehow the individual had escaped being sub- 
jected to the microscope, whereas today he is 
the pivot of all our observations. It is logical 
perhaps that an examination of man's mental 
activity should have been postponed until this 
late date in history, though it is difficult with our 
present array of material to explain why such 
important investigations with such significant 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 9 

bearings on vital personal matters should have 
been so long delayed. 

It is astonishing to realize that it is only 
within the last few years that any serious, sci- 
entific, or widespread effort has been made to 
understand and classify the nature of human 
personalities with all their complex springs of 
action. There has always been an eager and 
universal interest in the few ' ' self -revelations ' ' 
that were available, all published personal 
"Confessions," and the like. But perhaps ow- 
ing to its intricacy and intangibility we were 
slow in recognizing that the law of Cause and 
Effect must prevail in the workings of the 
human mind as elsewhere, slow to realize that 
given results were inevitably the outcome of 
certain causes. To establish any such law as 
this it was necessary to observe and tabulate 
the facts in a large number of individual in- 
stances, and from these deduce certain " aver- 
ages" or conclusions. We now have well or- 
ganized methods of psychological experiment, 
based on careful Introspection and Observation, 



10 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

which incomplete though they may yet be, have 
furnished us with invaluable material. 

That man is able to study his own mind is in- 
disputable, though naturally not all are equally 
successful in such an endeavour. Certainly the 
more intelligent person can easily acquire a 
habit of dispassionate judgment of himself, and 
if mentally honest, can expose to his own view 
impulses and sources of action which were hith- 
erto shrouded in mystery and alike inexplicable 
to himself and others. To be sure, not every 
one is mentally honest, and likewise, those of an 
emotional or morbid bias would plainly be un- 
fitted to report very accurately on their own 
ideas and feelings. 

Much the largest portion of such psycholog- 
ical knowledge as we possess has come to us 
through the careful investigations of trained 
workers, and especially from researches in the 
field of "Abnormal Psychology, ' ' where in the 
study of mental pathology or diseased and dis- 
turbed conditions of the mind, we have gained 
through its very contrast our best perspective 
of what a normal and equable mentality should 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OP MIND 11 

be. It is to the untiring research workers and 
medical men that we owe our greatest debt, for 
through them we have obtained our first clear 
glimpses of the workings of our own interior 
and intricate mental machinery. Psychology in 
its present form really had its first inception in 
the early French and English experiments in 
Hypnotism, which barely antedate our present 
generation. Back of this of course lies the mon- 
umental work of men like Spencer and Darwin, 
who by giving us a firm biological basis have 
enabled us to step more fearlessly into the realm 
of the purely psychic. 

More recently we have the movement known 
as Psycho-analysis, defined by Dr. Putnam of 
Boston as "an attempt to make the facts and 
principles discovered through the analysis of 
individual lives, of service in the study of race 
history and of life in general." This is, of 
course, a broad statement and one equally ap- 
plicable to many other forms of psychological 
inquiry. Furthermore the psycho-analytic 
movement must be distinguished from the 
psycho-analytic method, which is really a minor 



12 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

consideration, though the occasion of many hot 
disputations. Taking its origin in pathological 
studies made by Dr. Breuer, of Vienna, in 1881, 
and later by his brilliant successor Dr. Freud, 
Psycho-analysis today presents us with a large 
mass of scientific observations and theories con- 
cerning human emotions and experience ; all of 
which has an important intrinsic value, and a 
still greater value as a light upon the scientific 
tendencies and momentum of our time. It is 
interesting to note in this connection that this 
most popular of the modern psychological 
movements had a practically simultaneous birth 
with the more thoroughly established and inval- 
uable work of the great psychologists, Lange 
and William James. 

The somewhat limited and arbitrary methods 
of Psycho-analysis and also some of its sweep- 
ing but unproved conclusions, justly have many 
critics and decriers ; but however wide the mark 
some of its investigators may have fallen, and 
however erroneous some of their conclusions 
may prove to be, we must take the larger view 
and admit that as pioneers in a new and difficult 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 13 

field tliey have performed a great and needed 
service. 

In my personal work with students I have at 
times used psycho-analytic methods with excel- 
lent results, though I do not say that the appli- 
cation of these methods has always, or even 
often, led me to the same conclusions as those 
of its originators. Like every independent 
worker in this field, I have developed methods of 
my own, which for my purposes and intentions 
yield far better results, especially when working 
with the individual for the alleviation of various 
mental and physical disorders. But we have 
the inspiration of their theories, which depart 
boldly from the old established canons; only, 
we must go much farther than Freudianism if 
we are to understand man's deepest yearnings 
and spiritual capacities. 

We are led then to a brief consideration of 
the human Consciousness itself, since that is the 
field of all our operations. Fortunately we all 
have some idea of its nature, although clear 
definition is impossible owing to our being im- 
mersed in it, as it were, and unable therefore to 



14 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

gain the vantage point of a perspective. We 
only know it as a form of universal, undiffer- 
entiated activity existing within itself, having 
Being or Reality distinct from other phenomena 
which we designate as material or objective. 
Also we must believe that it is an expression or 
part of a greater Universal Intelligence of 
which we are only very small portions. We do 
not know therefore how to define it or where to 
place its boundaries because of its very infin- 
itude and universality. Yet through the human 
process called Thought we are able to speak of 
it in symbols, to analyse and become somewhat 
acquainted with its manifestations, and to 
realize it as a sort of stream constantly pouring 
through us as an expression of that Supreme 
Consciousness which, we are all more or less 
aware, lies back of all manifested things. 

Furthermore, Thought itself is not such an 
intangible and elusive thing as we have imag- 
ined. It should be regarded as a differentiated 
and organized form of energy, much like other 
forms with which we are better acquainted, such 
as heat, light, or electricity. It is necessary to 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 15 

understand something of this dynamic quality 
of Thought, in order to have any key to the 
psychology of man's behaviour. We often see 
the phrase nowadays "thoughts are things,' ' 
which serves to impress more of their reality 
upon us, and is a very good statement of the 
truth, especially if we accept Herbert Spencer's 
definition of a thing as ' ' a group of phenomena 
which persists." Certainly Thought not only 
tends to persist long after the moment of its cre- 
ation, but has also the quality of movement or 
vibration, is in fact primarily an etheric mode 
of motion. It may be easier however to think 
of Thought as a thing than as motion, for it 
possesses definite and concrete attributes and 
effects, as does any other form of energy. It 
is also a power of infinite extent and is limited 
in its use only by our small store of knowledge 
as to its laws. 

We each have a stock of Thoughts large or 
small, according to the degree of our capacity 
and experience, though of the major part of 
them we are mainly unconscious, owing to the 
generally undeveloped state of the intellect. 



16 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

Those of which we are conscious concern mostly 
only objective matters, a knowledge of the in- 
ternal life being comparatively rare. The 
affairs of the day are eating, working, sleeping, 
recreation — it is thoughts of these things with 
which we are most familiar and which consti- 
tute the bulk of our known mental life. In 
their very nature they are necessary and useful ; 
but beyond them lies a vast area of mental activ- 
ity — mostly submerged, it is true — and yet 
which is so great in extent and character as to 
contain within it the main balance of power — 
this is the area of the Unconscious. 

The term subconsciousness has been bandied 
about a good deal of late years and used indis- 
criminately to cover all sorts of mental idiosyn- 
crasies, likewise numerous books have been 
written to explain what it is, without much 
result in the way of elucidation. That we re- 
main nearly as much in the dark as ever is not 
so surprising, however, when one considers the 
generic significance of the word swfr-conscious, 
i.e., below the threshold or out of the normal 
consciousness. Since it is not visible, and is 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 17 

not easily reducible to the known mental laws, 
many scientists have refused to examine it, 
even denying its existence, and declaring that 
all deductions concerning it must be by infer- 
ence only, and hence not trustworthy. This is 
somewhat like having a gold mine which one has 
never explored, and attempting to account for it 
by declaring it isn't there. To explain the hid- 
den contents of the mind, one must first at least 
admit their existence, and the theory of the 
" subconscious ' ' or the "unconscious," when 
properly pursued, reveals them clearly to view. 
The interesting thing about the submerged 
phase of consciousness is that it can be mined 
out as easily as gold ore can be extracted from 
the earth, and indeed it is not unlike this sub- 
stance in that it is a mixture of many elements, 
both dross and precious metal. We must drop 
the simile here, however, as the contents of this 
mental mine are not solidified like those of a 
material one — indeed, they are in a state of con- 
stant flux and commotion, with actions and re- 
actions of the most complex and subtle kind 
When once exposed to view, as they can be by 



18 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

careful research, we have laid before us the 
roots and sources of all our thinking. 

It is not that these unseen and potential 
elements are essentially different from the 
thoughts that are constantly in the foreground, 
but that they are more primal, productive, and 
intimately related to that unifying force, the 
Cosmic Consciousness. They are the stuff out 
of which our thinking life is made, though 
always modified by our own past experiences in 
consciousness, both personal and racial. Ow- 
ing to its complexity and comparative invisi- 
bility, this deeper phase of human intelligence 
has been sometimes inaccurately marked off and 
set apart as an entity in itself ; but such is not 
the case, there is but one consciousness. The 
lower levels of it should be regarded as a vast 
unorganized force which we are trying to har- 
ness and enlist in our service, an energy of 
which mankind has been hitherto but vaguely 
aware, but which holds within it all his poten- 
tialities for the future. 

In the subconsciousness lies man's greatest 
gift, his faculty of apprehending a priori princi- 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 19 

pies and of perceiving self-evident truths ; in it 
lie hidden all those cognitions having their 
origin in the nature of the mind itself — cog- 
nitions, which though they may come to us 
through experience, are really independent of 
it. It is the realm of Cause — transcendental 
Cause, one may say, since we know its powers 
and capacities to be infinitely beyond our grasp 
and comprehension. It does not seem so im- 
palpable, though, when regarded in its true light 
as the source of the faculty known as common 
sense, that most uncommon possession, which 
should be defined as the power of the intuitive 
perception of truth. 

In order to get some conception of the rela- 
tion of the inner to the outer phases of con- 
sciousness, we might at this point best liken the 
mind, with its many complex and varying ele- 
ments, to a vast industrial plant with its 
myriads of workers, each with his own little 
circle of thought and activity but mostly uncon- 
scious of the vast product to which by his labour 
he is daily contributing; yet his existence and 
his work is none the less a necessary part of 



20 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

the whole. Every thought and impulse that 
finds even a momentary place in the mind is 
equivalent to one of these individual workers, 
and an active part of the whole mechanism. 

This illustration is especially good for the 
reason that we can so easily see how the pur- 
pose of an industrial organization would be en- 
tirely frustrated were it not for the control and 
management that emanates from the head office, 
in spite of the f«act that the bulk of the work is 
done " below stairs," as it were. The superin- 
tendent of a plant sitting in his private office is 
not aware of all the detail and activity being 
carried on around him, and much of the accom- 
plishment of his workers must necessarily re- 
main unknown to him ; for were he obliged to be 
aware of all these various acts his own useful- 
ness would be seriously impaired. He has 
many assistants and sub-heads and managers of 
departments, all of whom have ideas and wills 
of their own and carry on their own part of the 
work without his immediate knowledge; yet 
while these helpers are for the express purpose 
of developing the general purpose of the whole, 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 21 

we do know that among them often exists ig- 
norance, inharmony, or even apparently wilful 
disorder. Such then is the state of the average 
"subconsciousness"; it is this mutiny of un- 
disciplined servants that calls for clear sight 
and authoritative action on the part of the chief 
and is so like to our own host of unruly thoughts 
which would quite run away with us unless thor- 
oughly disciplined and mastered by a con- 
trolling intellect. 

Let us transfer this picture and imagine the 
intellect, or reasoning self, to be the superin- 
tendent sitting in the office of the brain, and 
further imagine the great concourse of mental 
activity that goes on below the surface to be the 
equivalent of the doings of the various depart- 
ments with their several heads. With this illus- 
tration in mind one can see the relation between 
the two principal phases of consciousness, with 
the necessity for a ruler at the head, that is, the 
conscious Self or Master, to direct all employes 
with their varied activities that are represented 
by the subconsciousness. 

The liability of servants to make mistakes is 



22 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

proverbial, and it is no less true of these work- 
ers of the mind. It is not one of the character- 
istics of the subconsciousness to be infallible, 
though the disposition of some writers to con- 
fuse the subconsciousness with the soul, has led 
to this incongruity. Man is not only a com- 
posite of his past experience with its many 
errors, but is a mere infant as yet, as far as his 
mental and spiritual equipment is concerned, 
and is therefore completely at the mercy of his 
own erratic fancies and untrained forces, until 
he has learned co-ordination and self-mastery. 
Still further does my simile illustrate another 
attribute of the mind, namely its diversity, and 
its capacity for being split up into various seg- 
regated elements. Thus it shows itself to have 
many aspects quite opposite in their nature, 
each capable to some extent of independent 
action. It is thus, too, that one phase of the 
mind may stand apart, as it were, and survey 
the rest of itself, a faculty of the utmost service 
when any conscious improvement or self -devel- 
opment is undertaken. Sometimes this capac- 
ity for dissociation leads to trouble and dis^ 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 23 

order. It is often the cause of mental and 
nervous maladies whose origin is to any but the 
trained psychologist obscure and baffling. It 
merely means disorganization and lack of unity 
in the general purposes, and calls for special 
analysis and reconstructive work. 

We must not be dismayed that the very thing 
we are Working to alter or improve, that is the 
mind itself, is also the thing with which we work 
— in fact, our only means of operation. That 
one may thus produce radical changes in the 
very medium in which he operates, with which 
he is obliged to work, is at first a little startling, 
but is one of the capacities of our organism with 
which it is important to familiarize ourselves. 

The subconsciousness may also be said to rep- 
resent the world of feeling, for in it we find the 
source of all our " predispositions' ' and emo- 
tions. Likewise it is sometimes called the 
"storehouse of memory,' ' but might more accu- 
rately be said to be the memory, since nothing 
that is ever experienced by us, either outwardly 
or inwardly, is lost or forgotten. When we say 
something has "slipped our memory' ' we 



24 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

merely mean it has left the upper level of con- 
sciousness and lost itself for the time being in 
the darkness below. 

i In these subterranean passages of Uncon- 
scious Thought are to be found the remnants of 
our primitive racial Instincts, which though 
well-covered by the veneer of civilization, still 
remain intact in most of us. These supposedly 
outgrown feelings frequently actuate us without 
our conscious knowledge and furnish the unseen 
motives for acts which are " queer' ' or unac- 
countable, though essentially natural. Instinct 
may be either " wrong' ' or " right" according 
to the degree of our development and our rela- 
tive place in life. That is, an instinct which 
may be perfectly right and useful for the sav- 
age, is outgrown and hence harmful in the 
higher stages of development. In any case it is 
a heritage from our ancestors, and an important 
subconscious element not to be lost sight of in 
the midst of our complexities. These instincts 
relate not only to the bodily needs, but to all 
the more primitive feelings, and are built up out 
of the ages of experience which have preceded 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 25 

us, an experience of which we would do well to 
avail ourselves for the most part, but which 
we lose or distort by a habit of smothering our 
natural impulses. There is -the instinct for 
right food, for example — possessed by the ani- 
mals, but largely lost in man; the instinct for 
outdoor life, for freedom, the power to detect 
danger — to mention but a few at random, all 
of which are very dormant, if not destroyed in 
most of us. When we recognize ' ' instinct ' ' and 
the primary reaction to life it represents, as an 
essential albeit unconscious form of thought, 
and cultivate it accordingly, we will have ac- 
quired a new and most valuable tool in the sci- 
ence of thinking. 

All "feelings" have, in fact, their origin in 
the unconscious life and form much the most 
vital part of the mental organism. Elaborate 
and lengthy distinctions have been made be- 
tween "thought" and "feeling" but a very 
simple one is to regard all feeling as an uncon- 
scious form of thought. As soon as one be- 
comes really conscious of feeling, it rises into 
the realm of the Intellect and is there recog- 



26 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

nized and linked with the Will. Whether we 
should thus attempt to make all our feelings 
conscious ones or not is a debatable question, 
but in any case in studying the subconscious- 
ness, it is necessary to recognize in it the foun- 
dation of all our emotional and psychic life. 

That subtle power called Intuition, that is, a 
sudden " knowing, " is another faculty explain- 
able only by a realm of unconscious perception. 
Whole trains of thought are worked out in 
detail and conclusions reached below the level 
of the conscious brain, which in minds tempera- 
mentally adapted for its transmission from the 
lower to the upper levels of consciousness, are 
flashed quickly at opportune moments up into 
the chambers of the Intellect. There it may be 
recognized and accepted, though not accounted 
for. Such results as these are more apt to 
occur in the quick and penetrating type of mind, 
but the important fact for us to note is that 
when they do occur it is the best evidence possi- 
ble of that prescience which links the subcon- 
sciousness indubitably with the transcendent 
intelligence which animates all nature. 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 27 

There are also many well-authenticated cases 
of Premonition where, by a still more obscure 
mental operation, events not yet materialized, 
or that haven't " happened' ' yet, as we say, are 
perceived in advance of their objective appear- 
ance. The pity is that we have allowed a scep- 
tical, scoffing attitude or sometimes mere 
incredulity, to blind us to this wonderful capac- 
ity of the subconsciousness. We have counted 
the failures and mistakes that are often made 
in its use, for as a faculty it is both discouraged 
and undeveloped ; and we have tried to explain 
by the unillumining word "coincidence," a 
phenomenon we would do ourselves far greater 
justice to investigate and study. There is over- 
whelming evidence to show that many minds 
have the potential faculty to perceive the shad- 
ows cast by coming events, or to describe cur- 
rent events taking place at a distance, of which 
they can have no conscious knowledge. It is 
due only to our stupid ignorance and fear that 
we have not long before now brought out of its 
potential state this delicate but powerful capac- 
ity of the mind. Certainly in studying the psy- 



28 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

chology of Behaviour, we will have niuch be- 
haviour to account for in the way of psychic 
phenomena that cannot be accounted for with- 
out a better knowledge of the subconsciousness 
and its extent. I was about to say terrifying 
extent, since even our scientists seem afraid to 
venture far into these uncharted paths. We 
perhaps would not actually burn the witches at 
Salem today, but we would in a more refined 
way express our disapproval and our scorn — 
and incidentally our colossal ignorance. 

Inspiration as a psychological phenomenon, 
being less rare perhaps than Premonition, com- 
mands more respect, though hardly more under- 
standing. We have all experienced moments of 
comparative exaltation, when all our thoughts 
seemed to flow smoothly as a river, and when 
there was a sense of having tapped a reservoir 
of force and feeling that seemed superb in qual- 
ity and inexhaustible in extent. It is undeni- 
ably out of such states of mind as this that the 
world's finest creations have come — the best lit- 
erature, the great inventions, the finest art. All 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 29 

action seems easy at such a time, for in what- 
ever direction the interest may lie, there is a 
freedom from friction, a supply of energy, a fer- 
tility of thought, and a daring in action un- 
equalled or even approached by any other state 
of consciousness. Genius is akin to this and is 
simply an uprush of the greatly extended pow- 
ers of the subconsciousness. Genius might 
indeed be defined as Frederic Myers defined it in 
his " Human Personality" — as "a capacity for 
utilizing powers which lie too deep for the or- 
dinary man's control." Undoubtedly the best 
work in the world is done when men obey their 
inspiration without themselves being aware 
that they are accomplishing their masterpieces 
— the greatness lying in their ability to open the 
doors and to function freely from the depths of 
their being — for Inspiration may be solicited, 
though not compelled. When unleashed, these 
powers are indeed so great as to make the man 
their servant rather than the master, and herein 
lies the danger and the penalty, since few of us 
are strong enough to even dare peer over the 



30 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

edges into these magnificent abysses within, to 
say nothing of allowing them to sweep us on and 
up to great achievements. 

In a sense this hesitancy and caution is a part 
of the economy of nature, as we must grow 
strong in order to wield strong instruments. 
There is no reason, however, with the present 
state of psychological science why we may not 
all be uplifted by the flame from within and 
have no fear. In any case it is not our part to 
criticize or wonder at those great minds which 
have finally been consumed or destroyed by 
the forces which they once handled so valiantly. 
It may be a weakness to go "insane" but at 
least if one has tasted the fruits of high en- 
deavour, a downfall may be considered a glory 
rather than a shame. 

We should remember also, that the subcon- 
sciousness of a child possesses practically the 
same power and extent as that of an adult. In- 
deed it often seems greater, since the child is 
more subjective, lives "nearer to nature/ ' as 
we say, is less artificial. For these reasons the 
child's intuitive, imaginative faculties have a 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 31 

freer scope, adding a charm and often a pre- 
science that is the delight of all. Even in the 
young infant there is the same potentiality, the 
same bundle of intelligent responsive nerve- 
cells, only not trained as yet in the expression 
of their powers. If we would but talk to and 
treat children with the same dignity and respect 
we do the older people whom we assume to have 
intelligence, instead of as though they were pos- 
sessed of empty brain boxes, the world would be 
saved much pain and useless misery, beginning 
with the next generation ! 

An age-long puzzle is, of course, that mani- 
festation of consciousness to be found in Sleep 
and Dreams. Although science has more re- 
cently succeeded in lifting this strange phe- 
nomenon out of the realm of superstition, it is 
still treated as a physical problem without 
much consideration of its pure subjectivity. 
For so long we have been taught that all dream- 
ing was the result of some bodily stimulus, such 
as a pillow pressing on the head, a creak in the 
door, or a disturbance in digestion, that we have 
been slow to come out of this materialistic con- 



32 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

ception. Elaborate theories have been devised 
to explain these automatic reactions, and with 
these unsatisfying dictums we were obliged to 
be content, or else venture forth alone into 
regions of the mind where all was thought to 
be illusion. 

Sleep being considered an exclusively restora- 
tive function, it was thought that the automatic, 
unconscious, and never-ending process of " re- 
pair" could not go on without the complete 
cessation of both bodily and mental activity. 
This theory is still being exploited and we are 
all admonished to " sleep more" no matter what 
our disturbance or our needs. It is, of course, 
perfectly patent to all that the sleep-state is a 
necessary one and that when normal it is dis- 
tinctly refreshing. As a matter of fact man's 
faith in it as a panacea for all his ills has a 
foundation in truth, but does not explain, for all 
that, what sleep is or what happens to the con- 
sciousness when it slips away below the thresh- 
old of our sight. 

That Sleep is not the cessation from con- 
sciousness it is often thought to be, is perfectly 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 33 

apparent from the simple fact of dreams, which 
are undeniably some form of consciousness, 
chaotic and fugitive though they may be. Sleep 
is "nature's great restorer" simply because we 
pass therein into another state of consciousness 
which, by its passivity, completes the arc of our 
daily activities. But we should not construe 
passivity as a void or a blotting out of con- 
sciousness. It is merely another plane of 
action, affording scope for more relaxed phases 
of thought and sensibility than those normally 
expressing themselves in our waking state. 
Either Sleep or Best means a reduction in the 
amount of objective concentration and all volun- 
tary functions, and a corresponding activity of 
those phases of consciousness which are ordi- 
narily repressed during the day. It is the alter- 
nate swing of the pendulum to establish the bal- 
ance in this world of dual manifestations and 
has nothing to do with repair as such, except as 
well-being on all planes always results in the 
maintenance of balance. As a fixed bodily 
habit Sleep has become especially necessary 
owing to our highly specialized mental and phy- 



»4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

sical activity, but its essential use will ever be to 
afford an opportunity, through dreams and 
reverie, for the normal functioning of the mind 
on a different level from that which is so 
obviously in use during our waking moments. 
It is, of course, another and important phase of 
the subconsciousness and an aspect to which 
our relation should be established deliberately 
and consciously. 

Since we spend about one third of our life in 
this condition, what is more valuable than to 
find out what we can about our thoughts during 
the sleep period. Probably every human being 
dreams, a lack of recollection being no proof of 
the absence of such mental activity. The ma- 
jority, especially heavy sleepers, do not recall 
dream-thoughts readily, but the occasional flash- 
ing out of some valuable bit of knowledge, as in 
a "warning" dream is significant as evidence of 
what may be occurring in this veiled portion of 
the life of the mind. It has remained for Dr. 
Freud and his disciples to properly emphasize 
the importance of dreams in the psychic life and 
to point the way toward the use of such know]- 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 35 

edge for pathological and educational purposes. 
This is not the place for a detailed discussion of 
the meaning of dreams, or whether the elaborate 
symbolisms worked out by the Psycho-analysts 
are to be depended upon as throwing much light 
upon the real nature of the unconscious thought- 
life or not. Suffice it to call the attention of 
the reader to the reality of this unexplored 
region of his own mentality, as an aspect of 
mind to be v observed, and to a great extent 
controlled. 

The writer has completely reorganized the 
disturbed dream states of many sufferers, who 
were the helpless victims of unwelcome dream- 
images roaming unrestricted throughout their 
brains. Much of my own knowledge, and the 
solution of many problems, has come to me dur- 
ing Sleep — sometimes unsought, sometimes de- 
liberately planned for; an operation not at all 
difficult when a certain vital awareness of the 
subconscious processes has been developed. 
And in Sleep, what a glorious freedom — one can 
close the door upon pressing actualities, and re- 
leased from the limitations of the five senses, 



36 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

float away into that exquisite realm, where the 
unknown and the unseen is both known and 
seen. 

Now that we have established the fact that the 
subconsciousness is not just a bunch of forgot- 
ten or casual thoughts tucked off in some dark 
corner of the mind, we will examine one or two 
of its principal characteristics from a practical 
point of view. The first of these was pointed 
out very clearly by Hudson some years ago in 
his ' ' Law of Psychic Phenomena, ■ ' as an 
amenability to suggestion, implying a certain 
pliability of structure which has important 
bearings. A knowledge of the fact that the 
mind, or some phase of it, is peculiarly open to 
impressions from without, is of exceeding im- 
portance, since it lies within our power to a 
considerable degree to determine what those im- 
pressions shall be. Through the impressibility 
and responsiveness of the subconsciousness to 
external impressions and ideas, we have a great 
responsibility, and at the same time a power of 
unlimited value. 

The fact that definite concise statements could 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 37 

be "suggested" so as to be received and acted 
upon by the mind of the subject with the great- 
est exactitude and rapidity, opened a new field 
in both Psychology and Therapeutics. It was 
indeed a great advance to discover that certain 
mental and nervous affections, or what were 
supposed to be diseases of the imagination, 
could be successfully treated by talking the pa- 
tient out of them; though it seems odd that this 
plasticity and responsiveness of the mental or- 
ganism was held to be a new and strange fac- 
ulty. It appeared nothing short of revolution- 
ary that a person's mental and moral nature 
could be altered by such a means. The wise 
"discoverers" overlooked the fact entirely that 
the influence of one mind upon another was of 
such common occurrence as to be practically 
universal; that in the relations and interrela- 
tions of life, no human being escaped the in- 
fluence of his surroundings. 

The truth is that suggestions are made to us 
all through life, from infancy onward, and even 
before birth in various tendencies impressed 
through prenatal influence, until we can truly 



38 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

be said to be nothing but a composite of the 
never ceasing play of the "suggestive" forces 
about us. Practically all our physical and men- 
tal habits find their origin in the behests of our 
parents or in the customs of our community or 
race ; and as the subconsciousness develops long 
before the discriminating faculties, we grow up 
to find ourselves mere bundles of " sugges- 
tions." 

Every word that is spoken by family or 
friends has its bearing upon the tender mind 
of a child — every habit of thought, every fear, 
every inhibition is impressed, often indelibly, to 
remain as a brand throughout life. In the same 
way a child living in an atmosphere of peace and 
harmony, hearing only kind words and construc- 
tive thoughts expressed, absorbs this mental 
food to his benefit and advantage. All of us in 
our younger years, and often in adult life as 
well are the unconscious recipients of endless 
* i suggestions ' ' of all sorts and kinds. It is only 
once in a while that we find a renegade, usually 
the black sheep of the family, whose own vigor- 
ous personality is able to offset the many tend- 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OP MIND 39 

encies impinged upon him by his environment, 
and whose inclination to make suggestions to 
himself is strong enough to build up a whole 
new set of circumstances, probably quite differ- 
ent from those for which he seemed destined. 
Such a one may justly be said to have de- 
veloped himself through " auto-suggestion,' ' 
which sounds like a term of opprobrium, but is 
really what modern Psychology has taught us 
as to the way to reach and influence our own 
subconscious processes. As a matter of fact, it 
has been the method we lacked, and the "discov- 
erers" of the power of suggestion have been 
mainly useful in the applications they have 
taught us. 

It is always a gamble to see whether in the 
battle of life the innate qualities with which we 
are endowed or the pressure of circumstances, 
will win. Certainly there is no better fortifica- 
tion or assurance of success in either direction 
than a knowledge of the fact that we are con- 
stantly absorbing ideas and feelings from all 
about us and reacting to various stimuli, since 
in such knowledge lies our only protection. We 



40 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

are then at liberty to choose our influences, and 
to close ourselves to such as would be otherwise 
overwhelming or detrimental. We merely need 
to realize the significance of these possibilities 
to be able to exert an invisible but potent faculty 
toward an unlimited strength and usefulness. 
It seems simple enough, for example, to assert 
"1 can/ 9 when the circumstances seem to 
make "I can't' 9 not only nearer the truth, but 
inevitable. It is a powerful suggestion never- 
theless, and if used earnestly is capable of 
working wonders. 

Sometimes when working to change the struc- 
ture of the mind by eliminating or reorganizing 
some objectionable mental habit, we are con- 
fronted with a hardness and inflexibility which 
is truly discouraging. Nevertheless it is for- 
tunate that we are endowed with a sufficient 
amount of rigidity to offset the disintegration 
that would inevitably take place were we too 
freely acted upon by the various elements 
around us. The subconsciousness of a normal 
person does not bend too easily to whim or 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 41 

caprice and it is a common fact that the older 
we grow the more "set" we become. 

It is thus believed impossible to properly 
acquire a new language after the adolescent 
period, and is no doubt also the reason why 
Sir William Osier jocosely advocated the elim- 
ination from active life of all men over sixty 
years of age. The trouble is that such state- 
ments are but half truths. The ideal mentality 
is that which balances itself between a wise 
yielding to impressions from without and a 
stern rejection of all that is undesirable. Such 
an attitude if cultivated may become so habitual 
as to be as vital at sixty as it is at twenty ; only 
whatever the direction the " cultivation ' ' may 
take, perseverance and endless patience are re- 
quired, especially if the mentality to be moulded 
is of the "positive" type. 

To understand Suggestion, or the action of 
one mind upon another, it is well to consider it 
as identical with an ordinary chemical process, 
where one substance when introduced into, or 
put into contact with another, produces a given 



42 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

reaction. Exactly the same thing happens in 
the human mind, though we are more often un- 
conscious of the process than not. A new force 
or stimulus from without sets in motion certain 
inhibited mental mechanisms, which were, tem- 
porarily at least, beyond the reach of the sub- 
ject himself. There is every reason then why 
we should learn this law in its psychological re- 
lations, as well as in physics, and avail ourselves 
of the knowledge by introducing the right forces 
into our world of ideas and guarding ourselves 
against the wrong ones. 

As between teacher and student, or doctor and 
patient, it follows that there is a wider applica- 
bility of the law of Suggestion than in the indi- 
vidual working alone, for the reason that the 
teacher or doctor having a better perspective of 
the needs of the subject, and a more or less im- 
personal attitude toward them, is able to make 
his suggestions, or project his ideas, with a 
more positive force than when one is trying to 
be both the target and the archer at the same 
time. We all know the exhilaration of being 
told by any appreciative friend that we can do a 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 43 

certain thing unusually well. It may be the 
whole means of enabling us to accomplish it, 
whereas we had believed ourselves incapable, 
and no amount of auto-suggestion in the form 
of "I can do it," "I know I can do it" would 
have produced the same quick and satisfying re- 
sults. 

Still, every action that we perform is the 
result of a previous thought, and if we take care 
first to develop the right thought before begin- 
ning, we can do much to make both thoughts and 
actions conform to our ideals without any help 
from others — provided, of course, we have 
learned to be "positive," for thoughts require 
force as well as good aim to be efficacious. 

For the best results, however, the work of a 
Psycho-analyst is indispensable. He acts as an 
agent or substitute, upon which the patient can 
transfer his unconscious psychic forces. The 
doctor overcomes by his skilful suggestions the 
unconscious conflicts and disquietudes of his 
subject, thus serving as a liberator or harmon- 
izer. Of course the whole force of a positive 
and carefully aimed suggestion may be lost if it 



44 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

is met by an equally strong opposing one. Un- 
fortunately this is sometimes the case with a 
patient even where he thinks he is open minded 
and receptive and who listens obediently to vari- 
ous ideas, which though projected with sufficient 
energy to reach and benefit him, are completely 
annulled by some of his own subconscious or 
unknown convictions or prejudices. Thus a 
very " positive' ' or " decided" person may be 
difficult to influence by suggestion, even though 
he appears to be willing. It reminds one of the 
old question in Physics — "what happens when 
an irresistible force is met by an imponderable 
body"! The expert Psycho-analyst is, how- 
ever, usually able to get around this difficulty. 

There is also the person with the smooth slip- 
pery mind, from which suggestions glance off as 
from the surface of a glass ball — nothing is so 
annoying as to find one of these in one's own 
family! And then the type that drinks in 
eagerly every available suggestion, but has 
nothing but a sieve to put it in ! Such a one is 
the most discouraging of all, for no amount of 
labour seems to suffice to stop up the perfora- 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND . 45 

tions. All these types serve to indicate the lim- 
itations of Suggestion, but they are limitations, 
it is plain to be seen, due to the nature of the 
patient and not to the principle involved. 

There is no question of a "weakness of will" 
concerned here. It is far better to be "amen- 
able to suggestion' 9 than not. The rock-ribbed 
type of mind is slow to learn. It remains too 
complacently ensconced behind the solid walls of 
its own beliefs, exerting itself only in efforts to 
make suggestions to other people. We all 
know, theoretically at least, how absurd it is 
to go about giving unasked advice, and we 
should know that it is equally futile to make 
" suggestions,' ' no matter how good, when they 
are not wanted. 

Perhaps this is the first rule to remember in 
making use of this psychological law — i.e., not 
to make ourselves moral mentors, or assume the 
responsibility for anybody. The very first re- 
quirement for suggestion to take effect, is that 
the recipient should desire it enough to be re- 
ceptive. If not so by nature, he can become so 
voluntarily. It may involve his assuming an 



46 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

attitude that is not felt, but very often by doing 
so he conies to a new and useful viewpoint not 
otherwise to be achieved. 

In fact, we are altogether too much afraid of 
the power of persuasion and of being made to 
do things ' ' against our will. ' ' If our wills are 
obviously working in the wrong direction, we 
should be very grateful for a person or a 
process by which they may be set right. If we 
are labouring under the weight of a wrong idea 
from which we cannot free ourselves, even 
though we may know it to be wrong, what a 
blessing that relief can be obtained through the 
intervention of another mind and another will ! 

It is not necessarily a sign of weakness to be 
" suggestible, " it is rather an enviable state, for 
it implies an open and growing mind instead of 
one that is fixed, static, and hidebound. 

There is a state of over-suggestibility which 
presents many difficulties, if not actual dangers. 
It is a type common enough to miss being called 
"pathological," but is nevertheless often very 
troublesome. For example, a patient of mine 
reports that she dare not buy anything in a shop 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 47 

without first going home to ' ' think it over, ' ' as 
she is almost certain to be so influenced by the 
salesperson as to purchase something she 
does not want. This is plainly an extreme of 
suggestibility; but how can such a mind be 
helped into a stronger and more stable state, 
except by the influence of Suggestion? The 
form of treatment in a case like this should be 
somewhat after this fashion: "You will never 
be persuaded to buy anything you do not want 
— you will always know your own mind — you 
are perfectly sure of yourself — you cannot be 
influenced by any one except when you desire. ' ' 
Eepetitions of constructive statements like these 
will finally relieve the patient of her too great 
susceptibilities and put her in a position ulti- 
mately to be independent of all suggestion. 

This illustration will suggest the wide field of 
this powerful means of alleviation for numer- 
ous pathological conditions which we have never 
before been able to meet. Nor is it neces- 
sary that it should be limited only to profes- 
sional use, for it is perfectly possible for a 
person of even ordinary intelligence to con- 



48 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

stantly apply this law for his own benefit and 
advantage. Furthermore, its use in the train- 
ing of children is almost unlimited. I wish 
only to warn against the exceedingly shallow 
and short-sighted use that is made of Sugges- 
tion by many amateur teachers and practition- 
ers, persons who have no eye for underlying 
causes and who by their methods, if they are 
not doing actual harm, are at least wasting 
their time in mere self-delusion. 

To pour indiscriminate suggestions into a 
mind which is constantly creating new trouble 
and turmoil for itself, without the proper train- 
ing and necessary reorganization, is like empty- 
ing little pails of water into the roaring sea, 
expecting some miraculous transformation 
therefrom. Here is where we find the real 
limitations of Suggestion and where other and 
more essentially spiritual forces are required 
to effect any material changes. 

An aptitude for assuming the " other f el- 
low V viewpoint, at least tentatively, is not un- 
like the will to believe, as enunciated by William 
James. It is an attitude necessary not only 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 49 

when one desires to benefit by Suggestion, but 
is an important one for broadening one's life as 
a whole. It is deprecated by those who move 
through life with the one idea of avoiding mis- 
takes, and who because of their very care and 
excessive caution miss most that is desirable. 
To many of these it may be temperamentally 
impossible to "will to believe," but to the fear- 
less ones who take life as an adventure and are 
willing to "try" various paths, there is al- 
ways the reward of a new vision and a new 
opportunity. Sometimes one climbs an un- 
promising hill, perhaps only half believing that 
it will lead him where he desires to go, but, 
willing to ' ' take a chance, ' ' he finds on its sum- 
mit that his hopes are more than realized by the 
enchanting vistas spread out before him. 
Something like this attitude is essential to the 
mental seeker ; the eternal critic, the sceptic and 
unbeliever, lacks one of the first and best im- 
plements for the study of the peculiarly delicate 
and evanescent fabric of the mind. There are 
limits to credulity, of course, which any sen- 
sible person will mark out for himself and ob- 



50 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

serve; but above all, if one is to coax out of 
his concealed depths many of the treasures of 
the consciousness which lie below its threshold, 
he must have learned the secret of impelling 
his will in the direction of his expectancy and 
faith, he must have trained himself in the will 
to believe. 

Such pliability should be possessed by every 
one and having once found and adopted this 
valuable and constructive attitude, it will not 
be difficult for the student of Psychology to fol- 
low me in what I have to say as to the power 
of Affirmation. ' ' Affirmation ' ? in this sense has 
a special meaning — it is an asserting or de- 
claring to be true something which does not 
seem to be true at the time but which one de- 
sires to see realized. In the chapter on Im- 
agination I will explain this process more fully, 
but here I wish to draw attention to the fact 
that to think scientifically, one must give up all 
preconceived ideas as to the reality — though 
not the actuality — of the fact-world; he must 
begin by assuming that what he desires to bring 
to pass already exists in reality, and that it is 



SOME NEW ASPECTS OF MIND 51 

for him, by a definite and controlled thought- 
process, to project those ideas into objective and 
actual existence. 

An Affirmation is making a definite state- 
ment of a condition one wishes to attain, as 
though it were already attained. This is using 
the Imagination and Intellect to shape and 
formulate the unorganized elements of Con- 
sciousness, and is the very foundation of all 
worth while effort to deal with Behaviour. To 
believe in and to aver a thing with confidence is 
the first step toward bringing it into being and 
completion, and can be secured only by constant 
assertion of power and capacity on the part of 
the doer. When once mastered it is an open 
sesame to the solution of all problems. 

To the initiated Affirmation becomes an habit- 
ual mode of thought. It is a "positive" state 
of mind, expressing both expectation and belief 
and is not based on outward appearances. We 
all know the inspiring effects of asserting 
strength and courage where none is felt, of say- 
ing "I am able," or "I am not afraid" when 
both weakness and fear may be the dominant 



52 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

sensations. The nearer one can come to realizv 
ing these assertions of potential power to be the 
realities, and the more one can train one 's mind 
to depend upon this mode of thought as a rod 
and staff in the time of trouble, the greater will 
be one's support and the higher the achieve- 
ment. 

It is after all only a mode for utilizing that 
eternal energy which fills the Universe, a key 
that unlocks some of the sealed chambers of the 
mind and reveals how we may-avail ourselves 
of some of the infinite potentialities of the 
Cosmic Consciousness. 



CHAPTER II 
INTELLECT 

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERCEPTION- 
INTELLECT, in the history of Philosophy and 
Psychology, has had, as a term, various mean- 
ings and definitions. I shall use it to distin- 
guish that comparatively small but important 
part of the mind which is conscious and self- 
knowing, the cognitive faculty, capable of form- 
ing comparisons and judgment. Because it is 
the practical, reasoning, obvious, everyday 
phase of consciousness and also the only one we 
ordinarily know I shall also call it objective, to 
distinguish it from those less tangible though 
more inherent phases of intelligence which we 
have just been considering. 

Intellect is the mechanism by which we gain 
knowledge of the external world. Spinoza 
taught that knowledge might be acquired in 
four ways. 

53 



U THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

Hearsay 

Experience ^ 

Eeasoning 

Intuition. 

Intuition, as we have already seen in the 
preceding chapter, is the rapid and sure work- 
ing of the inner consciousness. The other three 
in our list are the distinctly intellectual or ob- 
jective processes, and the preponderance of 
their number is indicative of the extent to which 
we live in the Intellect, as compared to the more 
interior and instinctive portions of our being. 

This is not to say at all that we are "intellec- 
tual" in the ordinary sense, but only that we 
have so far graduated out of the earlier stages 
of racial growth as to put nearly all the em- 
phasis, at the present time, on external modes. 
Our "knowledge" is no longer a matter of in- 
herent perception, as it once was, but a collec- 
tion of information gained almost exclusively 
through objective channels. So far has this 
tendency progressed that we have come to wor- 
ship Intellect to the exclusion or disadvantage 
pf all the other powers of the mind, 



INTELLECT 55 

Hearsay, to begin with, absolutely dominates 
the thought-life of the average person. 
Through the conscious brain are received, sec- 
ond-hand, the heterogeneous ideas of other 
people— accepted credulously, usually, almost 
as a religion, without even a question as to their 
truth or accuracy. Much of our education and 
even the reading of books, unless combined with 
an independent reasoning faculty, comes under 
this head. 

Experience is a dear teacher and none of us 
entirely escape her hard lessons, but as few 
possess a mentality sufficiently active to adjudge 
her precepts properly, the knowledge gained by 
means of experience is often purely objective 
and an empty thing. 

Reasoning as an active, conscious faculty is 
so dormant in most people, except in its most 
primitive phases or in its subjective aspects, 
that it does not play a very large part in their 
acquisition of knowledge; though by the great 
savants and leaders of the race it has long been 
held to be man's crowning glory and surest 
guide. 



56 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

I hope to add my quota of emphasis to the 
importance of the reasoning faculty and espe- 
cially to explain how it may be better developed ; 
but while calling attention to this direction and 
possibility, I wish the reader to keep the true 
perspective by holding ever before him the 
foundation on which it is built, i.e., the natural, 
logical, primal, reasoning intelligence, which 
though submerged and invisible is the inherit- 
ance of every man. This inherent intelligence 
which is a symbol of man's unity with the All- 
Knowing Mind, is potential — the Intellect is 
but a handle for reaching it. 

"Character consists in knowledge of the 
union which the mind has with the whole of 
nature" said Spinoza, yet we go on trying to 
"make" character by the most inadequate 
means possible — that is by rules and regulations 
which concern the outer life alone, by excessive 
contact with the mere world of things, scarcely 
ever with the inner world of feeling and percep- 
tion, the world of Nature and of Truth. 

Undoubtedly the inevitable period of igno- 
rance preceding maturity in all lives, that is 



INTELLECT 57 

when the inner consciousness is yet unknown to 
itself, requires some rules and guidance for its 
conduct and unfoldment; but it appears that 
we become obsessed by these prescriptions, for 
most of us live and die without much knowledge 
of anything deeper than the superficial world of 
things, and are built up mainly out of hearsay, 
some experience, and ocoasionaly a little rea- 
soning. 

So far has this fetish progressed in mod- 
ern times and especially in the Western world, 
as to very nearly exclude those valuable and ex- 
quisite attributes arising from the speculative 
and philosophical mind of the Orient. We are 
so overrun with the mere doing of things, with 
pride in material accomplishments, with " effi- 
ciency,' ' " education,' ' "business," "success," 
"getting-on," etc., that we have practically 
obliterated the faculties of the inner life and 
lost the power of drawing upon our deeper 
selves for knowledge. 

All of this is closely concerned with our un- 
due exaltation of the Intellect ; and though it is 
obvious that we require the very best possible 



58 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

use of all our external faculties, it is my conten- 
tion that most of the claims, and all of the 
methods, of modern thought, and especially its 
system of ' ' education, ' ' are erroneous — errone- 
ous for the reason that the true foundation for 
all development is not recognized — which is, 
first, that knowledge is already inherent in the 
mind of man, and, second, it requires a training 
of the senses rather than the Intellect, to bring 
it out. Not until these facts are firmly estab- 
lished can we proceed with safety to a consid- 
eration of how to train the Intellect. And then 
we must draw the distinction sharply : that the 
brain-faculty is foremost in this category solely 
because it is the only organ of the interior 
life known to our consciousness, and that it is 
nothing but a tool; and I shall endeavour by 
pointing out its particular office to aid the stu- 
dent of Behaviour to make new and useful ad- 
justments for himself — to reach, in short, those 
greater depths within, which are, after all, to 
be approached and successfully appropriated 
only by an obedient brain. 
This view of the human mind as an instru- 



INTELLECT 59 

ment only, reminds one of the theory advanced 
by certain materialists, that the brain is like 
any other secreting organ of the body, only that 
it secretes thought, instead of bile as does the 
liver, etc. There was a time when I regarded 
this view as an insult to human intelligence; 
but after all what is the difference % If we but 
regard an individual life as an indigitated por- 
tion of a great, all-pervading life, we have a 
very good analogy; the brain is at best but an 
organ of the Intellect which in its turn is also 
an organ of other more important elements of 
consciousness ; and the whole human conscious- 
ness is but an organ for the manifestation of a 
Universal Consciousness which flows through us 
like a stream, for purposes only vaguely com- 
prehended by our finite minds. Which digres- 
sion is necessary in order that when we speak 
of the Intellect as a monitor or executive officer 
of the whole mechanism, we shall not confuse 
it, as is so often done, with that essential "I" 
lying back of all psychology. 

Perhaps the best illustration possible of the 
Intellect in its relation to other phases of con- 



60 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

sciousness, is to consider it as the "man at the 
head," the executor who sits in his office to con- 
trol the volume of business that is represented 
by his organization ; but we must remember that 
he is merely an administrator, and not the busi- 
ness itself; for though the power that is ex- 
pressed through him is essentially the same as 
that in all his workers, there is the marked 
difference of function and position. He may, 
and should be, the sole director; if not, all his 
subconscious thoughts, feelings and impulses 
rise up to threaten and unseat him — not an inr 
frequent occurrence as we all have occasion to 
know. 

The Intellect might be likened too, to the engi- 
neer using his locomotive, as we use both body 
and brain as a vehicle for experience and prog- 
ress through life. As the directing element of 
a powerful mechanism, an engineer is the equiv- 
alent of the Intellect. Through him the cur- 
rents of power from the generative sources of 
his machine make connection with the body of 
the engine, just as the internal life, with its 
reservoirs of energy, is applied through the 



INTELLECT 61 

Intellect to the external and concrete experi- 
ences of life. The engineer uses his position 
as executor to regulate both the extent and the 
direction of this power, thus paralleling the 
office of the Intellect with its faculty for judg- 
ment and discrimination. 

It is exactly this development of judgment, or 
a right sense of values, that should be the main 
object of all intellectual training. And the 
power to consciously and efficiently operate the 
mind is as dependent upon training and organ- 
ization, as it is in the case of the engineer. 
This is just what modern education fails to do ; 
and the lack is the more pronounced in the 
mental world of today, because it is so 
strongly emphasized in the material world. 
Our thoughts are scattered and unrestrained: 
whereas they should be at least as orderly 
and easily ascertainable as our bank accounts 
or our libraries or the contents of our 
wardrobes: but to do this it is necessary to 
evolve a well-regulated personal thought-system 
corresponding in its careful organization to 
that in vogue in the best industries, in our 



62 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

homes, our clubs, and our charities. The con- 
tents of our minds are much in need of renova- 
tion, with the installation of a system compara- 
ble to the classified card-index of a good library. 
Not to know what one knows, is, to put it mildly, 
a drawback: and until we develop discrimina- 
tion, self-analysis and impersonal self-judg- 
ment, we are in no position to realize upon our 
inherent powers and capabilities. Thus the 
first step in intellectual training becomes ap- 
parent. 

Let us now examine more closely that dis- 
tinctive attribute of the Intellect, which I have 
called Discrimination. It represents a selec- 
tive power of prime importance, which a little 
thought will show, is not characteristic of the 
whole mind. The deeper phases of the think- 
ing process are, because of their very uncon- 
sciousness, at the mercy of whatever winds 
may blow. Through the Intellect we have a 
handle with which we are able to guide and di- 
rect these forces, because with it we can discern, 
compare, choose, eliminate, and determine. It 
leads us for this reason, beyond and out of the 



INTELLECT 63 

instinctive discrimination of the animal plane 
and thus renders an important and necessary 
service in our progress toward culture. 

As a balance and medium for all the active 
and positive elements of our being, Intellect is 
paramount. Unless it is awake and alert, most 
of the power generated in the motive centres 
of /the mind is dissipated through a lack of 
proper control. For Discrimination means a 
suitable use of our own material quite as much 
as the selection or rejection of anything in 
the outside world. And the especial quality of 
the Intellect is such as to enable us to develop 
the necessary sense of values, by means of which 
all our other faculties may be utilized to the 
full. It is indeed the only faculty by which we 
may stretch to the full measure of our powers ; 
hence the exalted position rightly accorded to 
it by all men of learning. 

This does not mean, though, that a right sense 
of values is possessed by all "intellectual" peo- 
ple, for they, even more than others, are apt to 
mistake objective for true knowledge and ele- 
vate themselves with a false importance. All 



64 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

of which implies, even in people of the higher 
types, a neglect of this very faculty of discrim- 
ination on which they pride themselves, and a 
stupid disregard for the really fundamental 
sources of knowledge. 

It is as though man had found such an en- 
chanting toy in his unfolding mentality as to 
become engrossed in admiration of it, forget- 
ting meanwhile that Intelligence is a universal 
, principle of Nature, expressing itself through 
any really responsive human machine without 
regard to education or acquired proficiencies. 
Yet my thesis is that our advantage is greater 
with "acquired proficiencies' ' than without 
them ; and that with a right training we are less 
likely to mistake the means used for the end 
sought or the thing-in-itself. Wisdom we all 
desire — Intellect may be the gateway to it, but 
no more. How universally nevertheless do we 
confuse the two. 

To return then to a discussion of what Dis- 
crimination means, Emerson quotes the In- 
dian Vedas in one of his Essays — "He that can 
discriminate is the father of his father," thus 



INTELLECT 65 

showing his opinion of the value enfolded in 
this power of perceiving differences, of weigh- 
ing, comparing, balancing. Nothing in fact in- 
dicates a loss of mental balance so clearly as 
the feebleness, or absence, of the power to dis- 
cern values — witness, for example, the mind of 
a fanatic or person of a single idea, where there 
is no discrimination — the result is narrowness 
instead of breadth, and inconsistency instead of 
poise, the ultimate end of which is insanity. 
All of us are a little "off" at times, when we 
lose the perspective and steadiness that comes 
from having a sure hand on the throttle of our 
engine. And we do not seem to realize that 
though the engine may continue to run for 
some time without the directing intelligence of 
the engineer, the inevitable end of such a course 
can be nothing but disaster. 

There are all shades and grades of the dis- 
criminative faculty to be observed in human 
beings, from those who split so many hairs and 
hold such a tight rein on themselves as to 
scarcely move at all, to the emotional and un- 
reliable type who go from one extreme of 



66 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

feeling to another and accept all things good or 
bad without even an attempt at judgment or cal- 
culation. Too much discrimination leads to ex- 
cessive caution, inhibition, and fear, too little 
makes but a weakling and a weather vane, both 
of small account in this world of competition. 

We know very well how little value is to be 
placed upon the opinions of those who lack this 
important quality. They lose all the fine 
points; "rave" over everything that appeals to 
them: find it always "wonderful," "superb," 
or "absolutely great"; or else they condemn 
with ruthlessness all that they do not like, never 
knowing in either case anything but the extreme 
degree. 

The mind to be at its best then, must be able 
to clearly distinguish and compare. Its ca- 
pacity to mark differences is the equivalent of 
the "feelers" or antennae of the insect, testing, 
trying, accepting or rejecting, according to its 
needs. The mind is a crucible, into which vari- 
ous elements are being constantly poured. The 
reflective capacity of the Intellect enables us 
to select and arrange these elements to the best 



INTELLECT 67 

advantage. We are always in the process of 
choosing our environment, albeit unconsciously, 
and making our own reactions to it. If then in 
every choice this marvellous discriminative 
faculty of ours were at work, think how differ- 
ent would be the result, how many mistakes 
avoided and pain saved, how much more every 
move might count. 

If we but observed even the same degree of fas- 
tidiousness for our mental food and experiences 
that the average person displays for his physi- 
cal sustenance, there would be an immediate 
and astounding revolution. While more than 
considerable care and thought has been bestowed 
upon questions of dietetics, hygiene, housing, 
selection of occupations, etc., we continue to de- 
lude ourselves with the idea that we are develop- 
ing Intellect while continuing to feed it, without 
concern, on a diet distinguished mostly for the 
absence of nourishment and quality. 

I speak not only of books and the generally 
wasteful reading matter with which people fill 
their minds, but of the material we are more or 
less forced to receive into our consciousness by 



68 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR - 

contact with the life around us — the vapid con- 
versations, the hideous and stupid sign boards 
that for ever confront us with their undesired 
information; not to speak of wasted hours of 
mental activity dignified by the name of 
"amusement"; and the idle relations with the 
thoughtless, the vulgar, or the stupid ones, who 
circle us on every side. Nor is this all; we de- 
liberately embroil ourselves, or fall headlong, 
into situations for which we have no real taste, 
and frequently create galling personal bonds 
which a lifetime does not suffice to dissolve; 
suffering experiences which our souls bear wit- 
ness are but superfluous stings of the lash — all 
for no better reason than that we have not ex- 
ercised the simple but most precious attribute 
of discrimination. 

These are but sketchy examples, which the 
reader can develop as far as he likes, concern- 
ing the office of the Intellect as monitor, exercis- 
ing its discretion as to what shall be permitted 
to enter the mind from outside and what shall 
not. I think the few illustrations cited are suffi- 
cient to indicate that it is a function which, at 



INTELLECT 69 

best, is very little used. In this sense the In- 
tellect is a feeding machine turning over raw 
material to be worked upon by the constantly 
revolving forces in the mind — a machine that 
in most instances is sadly out of commission. 

The significance of this widespread habit of 
intellectual inertia is especially impressive 
when one considers that by most psychologists 
the Intellect is regarded as the only agent of 
supply; that is, that outside of certain in- 
herited tendencies, no impressions ever reach 
the brain except through the avenues of the five 
senses. If this were the case, and my conten- 
tion be admitted that these senses are in the 
average person more than half asleep, one 
would be driven to the conclusion that we were 
all hopelessly stupid. 

But fortunately we are not confined to the 
testimony of the senses only, for the acquisition 
of knowledge. We have the limitless source of 
Intuition, as we have already seen ; and in addi- 
tion there is no question but that innumerable 
impressions reach the mind by means of quite 
other paths — paths less material but none the 



70 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

less effective. I am well aware that the major- 
ity of psychologists reject this view; but as the 
majority are avowed materialists, and refuse to 
examine or admit the extensive evidence con- 
cerning telepathy and the transmission of the 
finer psychic vibrations from mind to mind, 
they naturally remain in ignorance of the fact 
that Thought is so subtle a force that it may 
pervade the ether like electricity and pass di- 
rectly through what is called space, just as 
messages are transmitted by wireless telegra- 
phy without the apparatus that was once con- 
sidered so essential. Thus we have an un- 
doubted and powerful means of supplying our- 
selves with mental material quite apart from 
our original equipment of inherent knowledge 
and the usual sense acquisitions — one to be 
cherished and developed as the best possible 
means of enlarging our horizon and increasing 
our store. 

But to return to the questions of intellectual 
methods, I have already spoken of avoiding the 
ingestion of undesirable or harmful material, 
I now wish to call attention to the importance of 



INTELLECT 71 

Elimination as a mental habit. Vast piles of 
mental junk are absorbed daily and yearly by 
almost every one, as we have already seen. 
Even intelligent people, either through gen- 
eral carelessness, or perhaps sometimes imbued 
with a blind desire for knowledge, have a habit 
of absorbing with avidity everything within 
their range. These extend all the way from the 
newspaper habitue to the studious ones who 
consume the public library. 

By some kind of topsy-turvy reasoning all 
this is thought to be an admirable trait. What 
a fallacy it is, is shown by the perniciousness 
of the result — loss of the critical faculties and 
power to think for one's self. Even though the 
contents of all the books, papers, lectures, etc., 
were good, it would yet leave the mind of the 
reader with a mass of indigestible material, 
most of which he can never use, and which as 
a clog to the wheels of his machinery is scarcely 
exceeded by any other one element in his life. 

It is safe to say then that some nine-tenths of 
our reading matter, not to say our "affairs," 
should be eliminated — we could even afford to 



72 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

dispense with many of the facts now in our 
possession if we could but replace the space they 
occupy with the power to think. Life today 
is very complex and full of dangerous non-es- 
sentials. Just ask yourself honestly how many 
things you are now doing that you would be 
better off without and see if you cannot trim 
down your mind to advantage. 

Let us turn our attention now to another as- 
pect of the workings of the discriminative fac- 
ulty, that is, of the passing upon and turning 
out the finished article, the 'product of the mind. 
There must be a control of expression; and the 
intellectual or discriminative person rarely ever 
"spills," that is, empties his mind, without 
care and forethought as to the fitness or wis- 
dom of expressing his feelings and opinions, 
or without a forecast as to the probable result 
of his actions. There is an undeniable power 
implied in this reserve and he often leaves us 
wondering what else lies in the back of his 
brain. It is calculation and finesse, the prod- 
uct of discrimination and control — attributes 
never found in the primitive emotional types, 



INTELLECT 73 

who have not the -power to say one thing while 
feeling another, or to express their feelings only 
in part. Some expression of the face or un- 
conscious movement of the body is sure to be- 
tray their inner state even if it is not spoken 
in words. 

Since the burden of my thesis is for greater 
freedom and spontaneity in Behaviour, rather 
than for restraint, I am not arguing the case 
in favour of those who can so successfully hide 
their thoughts, particularly as the ultimate 
logical outcome of this capacity is the quality of 
deceit which we all despise even though paying 
tribute to the cleverness it implies. We must 
admit that a considerable degree of Intellect is 
involved in all dissembling and that there are 
innumerable situations in life requiring the ex- 
ercise of the faculty. Without discrimination 
of this sort there would be no such thing for ex- 
ample, as the " successful business man," and 
the popularity of the stage hero who succeeds 
in "putting it over" his antagonist by means of 
his "wits" is proof enough of its wide appeal. 

Nor must it be forgotten that dissimulation is 



74 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

to a certain extent absolutely required by tlie 
conventionalities of organized society, where it 
is politely called politeness. Whatever its 
basis, whether sympathy and kindness or merely 
self-seeking, the art of politeness or graceful 
social intercourse has its place and marks a de- 
gree of self-control and discriminative power 
which is in itself most admirable. Politeness 
is of course an acquisition of civilization. It 
is not a natural possession of either children 
or primitive peoples. They are swayed by their 
natural feelings with a serene disregard for 
the disconcerting effects of thus naively ex- 
posing them — which is one of the reasons we 
love them so! 

This quality of frankness and naivete has its 
own charm, and is indeed an ideal for the race 
to which we may hope to return — after we have 
mastered the Intellect. At present let us con- 
sider some of the advantages to be secured by 
the person who can hold his mental content in 
check, exhibiting to the world only that which 
his own higher sense of discrimination has 
passed upon and approved. With a criterion 



INTELLECT 75 

of this sort, both his words and actions may 
pass from a crude or destructive state so as to 
become uniformly gracious and useful. Such 
a one does not carp or criticize or speak un- 
kindly of any one, or talk of illness and suffer- 
ing, of accident, quarrels, or depressing things. 
He may have thoughts and feelings of all these 
things within himself, but he declines to add 
to the world's pain by producing them. Such 
a control is something to command the active 
admiration of all and can with advantage be 
made an unvarying rule of life. With the re- 
straining influence of the Intellect one can ex- 
ercise selection, even in the things he shall be 
spontaneous about, and cultivate optimism as a 
duty and a habit. 

There is, of course, a danger in this: in the 
persistent optimist, for instance, there is an ag- 
gravating tendency — an intention to be "cheer- 
ful" at any cost, which frequently obliges him 
to exclude all the facts in the case and thus lose 
his perspective. Such rather than admit any 
weakness or physical infirmity, prefer to go o» 
from bad to worse until help is useless ; or they 



76 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

may cheerily assert that " everything is all 
right," when one knows quite well it is all 
wrong. Such an attitude may be the simple 
expression of a " stout heart"; but more often 
it betrays a serious lack of discrimination and 
results in unmitigated weakness. Perhaps the 
hardest thing in life after all, is to face facts as 
they are, for almost every one cherishes some 
pet illusions. The only way out of this jungle 
of error is through the proper development of 
the discriminative sense and the assertion of 
the power of the Intellect. 

In addition to being the supplying agent of 
the mind, the Intellect exercises the equally im- 
portant function of adjusting agent; for after 
exercising due care as to what we shall admit 
into our minds we have still to think about what 
shall happen after it is there. If troubled 
with mental indigestion or defective assimila- 
tion, as most of us are, it is no safer to neglect 
the signs and symptoms than it is in the similar 
case of physical disturbance. In fact, it is even 
more important to regulate the mental proc- 
esses, as those who are familiar with my Psy- 



INTELLECT 77 

cho-Therapy l will know, for the reason that 
the physical body and all its disturbances are 
but a reflection of its prevalent mental states. 

To really achieve the habit of right mental 
adjustment requires some working basis in 
one's life, some religion or philosophy which 
supplies one with dependable standards. Most 
of the many sufferers who have come to me for 
help, whether the trouble were physical or men- 
tal, seemed to be floundering in abysses of ig- 
norance as to the meaning of life and their 
place in it. The work of the well-trained psy- 
chologist is to help them find and establish 
some such relationship, for without a certain 
knowledge of Self, all else is superficial. Fric- 
tion cannot be ultimately eliminated until its 
exact source has been located; but if an effort 
is made to harmonize discordant or puzzling 
experiences with one's deeper consciousness a 
certain amount of adjustment can always be 
secured. 

To take up one phase of it, let us grant first 
that our mental material is derived mainly from 

i See Psycho-Therapy, page 91. 



78 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

experience; after which one must realize that 
it is what we think about that experience rather 
than the experience itself that counts. It is 
the reaction we have to deal with; the mere 
incidents of life, once past, are of little mo- 
ment. It is the residuum or precipitate left 
from our varied contacts with life, whether in 
the imagination or actuality, that constitutes the 
essential quality of the mind. This residuum 
is due to the estimate made and the attitude as- 
sumed at the time of each occurrence. Every 
action, every thought even, leaves its mark in 
the subconscious memory. 

Nor do any two people carry away exactly 
the same impressions from any experience, no 
two ever draw out of a book or a play or a 
friend the same elements. Each is different — 
some of the discriminations made are deter- 
mined by instinct, some by reasoning and some 
by other influences. But it is the reflection fol- 
lowing — or possibly the absence of it — that de- 
termines what shall be finally retained in the 
consciousness. If we would but take time to do 
so, we could make our reflections constructive 



INTELLECT 79 

ones, whatever the nature of the experience giv- 
ing rise to them may have been. We can de- 
velop the "philosophical" mind, whatever our 
temperaments or tendencies, thus learning to 
erase the scars and marks of injury as we go 
along, turning evil, failure, pain, and ignorance 
into knowledge, power, and harmony. 

It can be seen that to accomplish such an end 
as this we must know both how to discard and 
adjust, that it is as important to "forget" as it 
is to "retain"; for our minds not only con- 
stantly collect debris, but we allow this un- 
suitable material to remain indefinitely, with 
no check to its corroding and destructive ac- 
tion. 

Take, for instance, how many poor souls are 
labouring under the burden of regret — regret 
for past acts of their own, for lost opportuni- 
ties, for the failures of friends and loved ones, 
for the seeming injustice of fate ; and although 
we consider regret only as a "feeling," it gives 
birth to many useless and impeding thoughts. 
When memories like this come crowding up 
out of the subconsciousness, as they so often 



80 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

do especially in moments of quiet or reverie, it 
should be a warning sign. It is time for the 
Intellect to take hold and weed out the rubbish, 
to discriminate against or to adjust the mani- 
festly conflicting elements. 

What has been the mental process preceding 
the recollection of such unhappy thoughts'? 
First, that the occasion that produced them was 
not met constructively, that is, with a balance 
and sureness and with the resilience of spirit 
necessary to pass through pain without scar. 
The attitude toward the experience was too lim- 
ited, bound up perhaps with ignorance, self- 
pity, or selfishness of some kind, so that there 
was left somewhere in the consciousness an in- 
delible mark, a self -injury, a rankling thought 
or feeling that continued to wreak vengeance 
upon its surroundings; otherwise no " regrets" 
could appear. And in the course of time, 
though the occasion of all this trouble may have 
been quite forgotten, the corroding action goes 
on unbroken, feeding back to the conscious In- 
tellect a repetition and multiplication of itself 



INTELLECT 81 

until one becomes quite buried and lost under 
the weight of it. 

It follows then that the power of the Intellect 
to discriminate and adjust should be deliber- 
ately applied in all matters of the Emotions, as 
well as in mental processes alone. Whatever 
may be the material presented, the Intellect 
should be able to so harmonize and adjust it 
with its own needs and laws of being as to en- 
tirely assimilate it; for it is only the non-as- 
similated material that poisons or causes pain. 

The first step is to forestall future trouble 
by refusing to admit and harbour any dis- 
turbed feelings about the experiences of the 
present, and secondly by refusing to longer 
nourish and sustain those relics of the past 
already in the mind which on examination prove 
to be destructive. By means of this conscious 
self -knowing part of our mind we are actually 
able to uproot and weed out those obnoxious 
growths which we have so long nurtured. It 
should be a daily custom — not to look back- 
ward of course, but to keep in order our mental 



82 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

house and garden ; to adjust ourselves comfort- 
ably and happily to each daily experience, and 
never to go to sleep with any disturbing emo- 
tions to mar our rest. With such a habit, any 
chronic friction becomes an impossibility and 
one of the greatest prerogatives of the Intel- 
lect has been fulfilled. 

It is just here that the reconstructive work 
of Psycho-therapy and Psycho-analysis be- 
comes of such value. While every student of 
Psychology can do much toward the rearrang- 
ing of his own mind, he should not be surprised 
or discouraged that he meets problems that he 
cannot solve alone. It requires special knowl- 
edge and years of experiment, as well as an 
earnest devotion to the cause to achieve the ex- 
pertness essential to this delicate work. The 
practitioner of Applied Psychology comes to 
have the same skill in solving mental problems 
as the experienced constructive engineer pos- 
sesses in his field. Psycho-therapy is far from 
being a completed science, but the imperative 
need for exact knowledge in these more subtle 
paths of the mind is so apparent that more and 



INTELLECT 83 

more are the seekers after health, efficiency, 
and a satisfactory condnct of life turning to 
these avenues for the solution of every problem 
both personal and social. Perhaps the New 
Education will establish "mental laboratories' ' 
where every maladjustment or inefficiency will 
be scientifically treated after the manner of all 
the other special disorders. 

It has often been said that what especially dis- 
tinguishes man from the brute creation is that 
phase of intelligence known as Reason. If the 
reader has followed me closely in my discus- 
sion of the nature and the use of Discrimina- 
tion, he will have already perceived that it is in 
essence but an application of the power to 
reason, and that it is developed to a greater 
or less degree in men according to their varying 
mental status. 

Let us look first at the steps in the ordinary 
reasoning process, a sequence that marks all 
our mental activities in a way, though not al- 
ways perceptible. To indicate it somewhat 
after the manner of Locke in his Human Un- 
derstanding; every action of the mind re- 



84 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

quires first, perceiving the facts ; second, order- 
ing them; third, comparing them; and fourth, 
drawing conclusions from them. Analysed, this 
is what we do in all our conscious thinking. 
Thus it will be seen that while studying Dis- 
crimination, we have come very close to that 
primary and distinguishing attribute of man's 
intelligence called Reason. Not Eeason in the 
Aristotelian or Kantian sense of a priori or in- 
tuitive knowledge, but Reason as the means by 
which the human mind organizes and utilizes its 
intuitive knowledge. 

The first point that I wish to make clear in 
connection with the power of Eeason, is that 
it does not belong to the conscious plane of 
activity only. We are fairly familiar with its 
objective application, but we must now per- 
ceive it as an attribute of the whole mind, and 
recognize that logical, sequential mental action 
belongs even more to the subconsciousness than 
it does to the Intellect — a fact seldom realized 
or brought to our attention. 

Not only this, but in reality every mind rea- 
sons, however immature; every thought or ac- 



INTELLECT 85 

tion is the result of a previous series of thoughts 
or actions, all of which are perfectly logical in 
their sequence. Even ' i intuition ' ' is really but 
the result of rapid or instantaneous reasoning, 
and though the original premise on which the 
result is based may have been erroneous, mak- 
ing the final conclusion still more so, yet the 
process is inevitably exact and without flaw. 

This fact deprives intuition and all subcon- 
scious functioning of much of its romantic mys- 
tery. It is necessary that we fling away our 
veil of ignorance in this respect and recognize 
for once and all that the workings of the human 
mind in all its phases are based on absolute 
logic. To once grasp this truth is to dissipate 
our old fear that instinct and intuition are un- 
deserving and unreliable attributes — even if 
the world in general has tossed them carelessly 
to women and animals as inferior qualities. 

But the power thus so lightly dismissed is in- 
deed very profound, based as it is on nothing 
less than the indubitable orderliness inherent in 
the human mind. The frequency with which 
we arrive at false or "illogical" conclusions is 



86 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

due wholly to a failure to supply the mind 
with right material in the beginning. Thoughts 
do not "happen"; no matter how wrong, ab- 
surd, or inconsistent they may be, there is al- 
ways cause for their existence. If the con- 
clusion is faulty, it is certain there was some- 
where an error in the premise, and the reason is 
not far to seek: instead of searching out truth 
with all our ardour, we are brought up on shams 
and compromises — deviations are thus inevi- 
table, our deductions partake of the taint, 
whether we will or no. 

If it were not true that the mind is always 
logical, the phenomena of Suggestion, so con- 
stantly demonstrated in psychological practice, 
would be impossible. Suggestion is a mental 
process by means of which certain ideas are 
projected into another mind to take the place 
of those already there. It is the "influence" 
of one mind over another and is a useful method 
for substituting constructive thoughts for those 
deemed to be erroneous or undesirable. It is 
useful because it supplies a new premise and 
pnce any premise is accepted by the mind, it 



INTELLECT 87 

becomes a vital force productive of its own 
kind. And, as the nature of the mind itself 
absolutely requires the working out to a logi- 
cal conclusion of any idea which has really 
found lodgment therein, we see the reason of 
expecting vital results from the insertion of a 
new idea by means of Suggestion. 

Sometimes these developments are slow, or 
delayed for long periods of time ; and again they 
are deflected by still other ideas or counter-sug- 
gestions which prove stronger. But when they 
work at all they work logically. To develop a 
proper technique of thinking therefore means a 
careful utilization of this natural power of de- 
duction, by supplying and sticking to those ideas 
which we wish to see developed and acted upon. 

We might define Reason as the power of 
assembling facts and viewing them in perspec- 
tive. Essentially it means grasp. Let us con- 
sider some of our present day habits of thought 
that tend to prevent or destroy this valuable 
capacity. There is of course, the mind that is 
congenitally weak and unable to take hold of 
anything, a type in which even the best training 



88 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

might fail to produce any very specific results. 
But the most of our trouble is due simply to 
not thinking. Indeed we take such superficial 
views of most things that the veriest " dabbler' ' 
in any line may become a make-believe — and 
what is worse — a successful, hero, if he but 
pour out a sufficient volley of bombastic words 
to tickle the ears of the thoughtless. We are 
mentally lazy, too ready to accept authority, 
whether it be in religion, or medicine, or by the 
mere assertion of a self-appointed prophet in 
any line. It is so much easier to take the ready- 
made opinions of others than it is to exert our 
own forces to the extent of creating opinions 
for ourselves. We go to lectures to get quota- 
tions on other people's thoughts and we pride 
ourselves on becoming connoisseurs in the art 
of collecting other people's ideas. 

In the same way do we all fall more or less 
under the spell of the printed page. Most per- 
sons need but to read a statement to solemnly 
believe that it is true, no matter how inaccurate 
or even absurd it may be. Our critical and 
questioning faculties are so dormant as to leave 



INTELLECT 89 

us almost helpless before the influence of any 
and every assertion. This is " knowledge by 
hearsay" with a vengeance. 

Already I have called attention to the great 
multiplicity of things with which we have to 
deal in our present complex civilization, and the 
resulting confusion and incapacity to deal satis- 
factorily with any of them. It is clear that we 
must simplify life more in order to live it well ; 
and in spite of a strong tendency to exaggera- 
tion and over-elaboration, there is at present 
also a steadily growing undercurrent of feel- 
ing for "reality" — a current that is sweeping 
away many of the useless and wasteful things of 
life. 

This tendency is something that we should 
aim to develop individually however ; especially 
by efforts to make Living a vital subject, a 
subject of which knowledge should be imparted 
in early life as of a precious art. We should 
aim for the adoption of simple, orderly, daily 
habits of thought and action, such as finishing 
things which are begun, or availing ourselves 
of the logical alternative of discarding them al- 



90 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

together if not worth finishing. In early child- 
hood the mind should be trained until it is sec- 
ond nature to forget that which is non-essential 
and retain that which is of value. It should 
be taught to see things in groups, clean-cut, 
according to type and classification, it should 
be led into the habit of perceiving the relations 
that exist between all facts and all ideas. This 
should constitute the principal element of edu- 
cation, not a mass of mere information, nor 
even a facility in dealing with information. 
The Intellect is given us as a means of mani- 
festing and materializing Life. To this end it 
can be seen how important it is that Logic 
should be brought out from the dry tomes of 
the academicians, and made a living vital mode 
of thought for every one. 

There is a steadily growing protest against 
the mere machinery of living as it is constituted 
today, to which it may not be amiss to call at- 
tention while we are studying the place of the 
Intellect in human action. There are so many 
purely objective things seeming to have to be 
done just to get through the day that the great- 



INTELLECT 91 

est difficulty is experienced in making time for 
anything more satisfying or worth while. Most 
of us deplore this situation and yet continue to 
live helplessly under the domination of circum- 
stance. There is the ubiquitous telephone, the 
much travelling about, the meeting of appoint- 
ments, the watching of servants and employes, 
and for women, the tyranny of dress and house- 
hold. There is beyond doubt a maddening mul- 
tiplicity of inescapable detail attached to mod- 
ern life ; but the very intensity of the pressure 
of it should awaken us to genuine effort to 
organize our individual lives so far as possible 
on a different and better basis. 

To do this one must become somewhat of a 
law unto himself, an individualist, a unit, a 
centre that establishes its own rate of vibration 
and determines the direction of its own activity 
apart from the social mass. To stem the tide 
of habit, convention, and universal custom, re- 
quires conviction and the courage born of con- 
viction. It is not the regime for weak and un- 
certain characters, but for the meaningful life 
it is an essential. 



92 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

There is no other handle by which to deal 
with these complications of living than the han- 
dle of an active Intellect. The discerning, dis- 
criminating, reasoning faculty enables us to see 
life as a group phenomenon, as a problem to be 
tackled where and how we will, and solved 
by scientific method according to our best 
ideals. 

Assuming that my reader is ready to do this 
and seeking the way, I suggest a careful con- 
sideration of the following phases of Psychol- 
ogy which I am setting forth as a means to at- 
tain this end. 

Attention is really the secret of all efficient 
action. The very centre of all vital thinking 
is the power to hold steadily to a focal point, 
yet the ease with which we are whisked away 
into unintentional paths betrays how little sov- 
ereignty we are used to exercising. It is a 
well-known fact that the power of sustained 
thought is the unmistakable mark of the force- 
ful and well developed mind; though the lack 
of it is such a common characteristic as to occa- 
sion little comment. Scattered, intermittent or 



INTELLECT 93 

unruly thinking is the general habit ; and when 
excessive is the cause of many nervous dis- 
orders if not of a breaking mentality or bodily 
disease. 

Attention has to do with the direction of 
thought, and consists in centering all one 's men- 
tal energy on a given point at one time. Angell 
defines it as "a rudimentary form of conation 
or will. ' ' I should call it more than ' ' rudimen- 
tary,' ' as it requires a considerable degree of 
volition, especially when the act is a deliberate, 
conscious one; but thinking with or to a pur- 
pose is not beyond the powers of any intelligent 
determined person. Being a self-initiated ac- 
tivity it naturally falls without the province of 
many, since there are those who seem to be 
minus the instinct or capacity for propelling 
themselves in any direction. 

To chain the darting, lightning-like and com- 
plex movements of an active mind into some- 
thing like definite concerted action, and concen- 
trated power, upon a fixed point, calls for an 
effort of the will which is perhaps not easily 
self-imposed; but since to gain the power of 



94 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

voluntary attention is indispensable for any- 
thing like an adequate mental life, it follows 
that the effort must be made. Fortunately it 
is not so difficult as it may seem. 

The first requisite to insure one's Attention 
being riveted upon the purposes in hand, is that 
Interest and Desire shall be united with it. 
And this co-ordination is the whole secret of the 
possession of the power of Attention ; for there 
is no trouble in attending to things which com- 
mand one's interest. The ingenuity and inten- 
sity of interest exhibited by a small boy desir- 
ous of escaping the infliction of an attendance 
at school, is a case in point; yet when set at 
some exercise in which he has no interest, his at- 
tention lags to such a degree that he appears 
to be no less than a dunce. 

We have then two courses of action open to 
us : either to do only the things we desire to do, 
or else learn to create an interest in those things 
which we feel we ought to do. Both avenues 
must be pondered, for both will yield results 
and much can be promised when they are culti- 
vated and mastered. In either case we are 



INTELLECT 95 

opening the way to the acquisition of the power 
of Attention. 

Attention like every other conscious faculty 
has its subconscious counterpart which does 
many things contrary to our acknowledged in- 
tention, and is therefore ■ termed involuntary. 
We receive innumerable impressions through 
the senses of which we are unaware at the time, 
discovering long after perhaps that our Atten- 
tion has been most active without our knowing 
it. Especially is this true in emotional matters 
and it would be well were we always to review 
our thoughts and feelings of the day to see 
which ones have stuck. Sometimes we carry 
away impressions quite the contrary of those 
we have voluntarily admitted into conscious- 
ness; always these are the result of subcon- 
scious Attention bestowed unawares. Of 
course the real test in the use of Attention is 
to be able to withdraw it at will from any point 
upon which it may have become fixed, and trans- 
fer it to a desired subject. In the following 
chapter on Imagination we will see how this can 
be done. 



96 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

There is also the kind of Attention we give to 
mechanical duties of various sorts, which might 
be called automatic, so subconscious or " sec- 
ond nature ' ' has it become. By the cumulative 
force of habit one acquires proficiency through 
mere routine such as is afforded by almost any 
daily occupation or business. Constant repeti- 
tion in any line of action tends to centre the 
Attention upon that line, until conscious Will 
is no longer required. Inability to place and 
hold the mind upon' any new and unfamiliar 
subject is no occasion for discouragement, as 
new paths in the brain have to be made ; but the 
continued absence of the power of Attention 
can always be accounted for by the absence of 
any vital interest — there are no associated emo- 
tions strong enough to sustain it. 

In some of the modern Mental Science cults, 
considerable emphasis has rightly been placed 
upon the subject of Concentration, with many 
suggestions as to how to acquire it. Though the 
methods given are apt to be superficial and in- 
adequate, yet the idea as a whole is most valu- 
able, as perhaps no faculty is in greater need of 



INTELLECT 97 

cultivation these days than this very one of 
Concentration. Numerous books have been 
written and published on "just how to do it," 
most of which give only too painful internal 
evidence of an absence of the very thing they 
seek to inculcate. Yet the trend is in the right 
direction and if followed will help to simplify 
and strengthen all phases of the mental life. 

Concentration is but a highly vitalized power 
of Attention and when active serves as a burn- 
ing glass through which all the energy of the 
mind may be centred with its full force upon 
any chosen point. The value of it is obvious, 
the means of acquiring and exercising it are less 
so. The habit of carrying many things in the 
mind at one time and giving only desultory at- 
tention to any of them is both common and 
pernicious ; one of the best accomplishments of 
a trained mind is that enabling it to bring all 
its force to bear upon a single point at will, 
which cannot well be done if one has "too many 
irons in the fire," mentally speaking. 

Even the simple, trivial, objective things of 
life should have our full attention when we are 



98 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

engaged with them, though as a matter of 
course certain acts will become habitual or auto- 
matic and can be relegated to the care of the 
subconsciousness as completely as the act of 
breathing. Even these should not be dismissed 
until they have been concentrated on and thor- 
oughly mastered. Thus it is well for the sake 
of discipline to try putting the whole mind upon 
such matters as dressing, eating, walking, etc. 
In the beginning it will be found very tiresome 
but this is only a proof that the mind is unac- 
customed to being centred in an objective way. 

When one has learned the lesson of doing 
things quickly and proficiently (which is not 
difficult with concentration) it is not only possi- 
ble but an advantage to cease the close watch- 
fulness and care — but not before. The Intel- 
lect is the leader — if everything passing 
through it were thoroughly ordered, all that 
dropped into the subconsciousness from it 
would be the same — even all our instincts and 
impulses would become orderly in time. 

To develop Directed Thinking is the primary 
function of the Intellect. Careful practice in 



INTELLECT 99 

simple Observation is a good way to begin. Try 
to tell what you have seen or heard each day — 
to yourself; write it out, if need be to make it 
clear. Find out whether you have noticed 
things and learn to take them in at a glance. 
Glance at a dozen unfamiliar objects on. a table 
and see how many of them you are able to recall 
— the difference in the results is largely a dif- 
ference of concentration. After training the 
senses in this way, try the more objective ex- 
ercise of observing your thoughts, and see how 
many of them you can inscribe; tedious per- 
haps — but invaluable. 

For some people it is very necessary to ar- 
range their work on a schedule, that is, to pro- 
vide a careful list of the affairs requiring at- 
tention and make a point of giving each thing 
as it comes along its full share of thought to the 
exclusion of all else. This habit if adhered to 
will do much to cure insidious mental weak- 
nesses such as wandering, indecision or hesi- 
tation; waste of time, inability to pass readily 
from one occupation to another, and a general 
disorderliness are all things that can be over- 



100 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

come by the persistent practice of concentra- 
tion. 

There is a danger in this method as there is 
in most good things, and those who by nature 
are devoted to detail and meticulous habits 
should take care not to allow themselves to fall 
into the rut of hard and fast rules from which 
they can be extricated only with difficulty. 
There is a liability of placing so much depend- 
ence upon plans and regulations as to lose all 
adaptability — the Will may even become inert 
and unresponsive when not supplied with some 
such assistance or stimulus. A pathetic evi- 
dence of such a tendency when carried to an 
extreme, is to be found in the ex-convict, who 
when released from a long siege of disciplinary 
habits is more or less unable to formulate, much 
less to execute, any adequate plan of life for 
himself. 

A number of methods are in vogue for de- 
veloping Concentration which are in the nature 
of mental gymnastics, and which when used with 
discrimination have a certain value. Such for 
example is the exercise of looking fixedly at any 



INTELLECT 101 

small object with the idea of excluding all other 
thoughts from the mind, except those concern- 
ing it. The difficulty of doing even a simple 
tlr'ng like this makes apparent, not an inherent 
weakness, but rather that our methods of edu- 
cation are so faulty as to deprive the mind of 
its natural ability to fix the attention at will. 
This is especially true of women, who finding 
little in their customary daily occupations call- 
ing for sustained thought, are usually unable to 
devote themselves to a single line of thought 
with any success — especially if it be in the na- 
ture of an abstraction. One pity is that no 
stress is placed upon the Sciences in our popu- 
lar educational curriculums — especially for 
women. Nothing is so efficacious as Science 
for the development of Observation, Concentra- 
tion, Exactitude and Power — in short, for all 
that is implied in Directed Thinking. 

The power to exclude unsolicited ideas and 
mental images, especially at such time as one is 
trying to focus the mind, seems in the beginning 
almost impossible of achievement, and it is only 
by recurring to the original intention with per- 



102 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 






sistent practice that any progress is made. The 
effort calls upon the Will to such an pxtent in 
most cases as to become very fatiguing in a 
short time, but will yield results if returned 
to at suitable intervals. If one could but have 
the same intensity of interest that exists in the 
mind of a cat when watching a mousehole, there 
would probably be no difficulty whatsoever ! 

If when taking up a book or entering a dis- 
cussion of any kind, one exercised the will 
enough to exclude all else but the thing in hand, 
the experience would be both useful and pleas- 
ant — for itself, and as discipline. We all 
know the disconcerting effects of meeting a new 
person whose attention is most evidently else- 
where and who cannot even for the sake of 
courtesy bring his mentality to bear upon the 
situation. How valuable then, to make each 
social contact an opportunity for the practice of 
concentration I 

In temperaments inclined to dreaminess and 
' ' wandering " it is desirable to force the mind 
upon all such matters as these at the time of 
their doing — a still further and important step 



INTELLECT 103 

is to begin developing an internal physical con- 
sciousness. Not of course, the morbid kind of 
attention which we frequently see bestowed by 
self-indulgent persons whose only interest is 
their symptoms ; but there is a constructive at- 
titude wherein it is possible to rescue from the 
abysses of subconscious oblivion a clear and 
certain knowledge of the action of all the or- 
gans of the body. 

The practical value of such an accomplish- 
ment is perfectly patent when one stops to 
think of how utterly at the mercy of our in- 
ternal workings most of us are. It is still more 
important as a means of organizing and in- 
tegrating one's whole mentality. The 'physical 
body is the only medium we possess for touch- 
ing life and the more thoroughly we master a 
sense of its operations, the more fully do we 
unite our subconscious intelligence to the ob- 
jective consciousness. We have much to learn 
of the Yogis of the East in this matter, who by 
their wonderful knowledge and subjugation of 
the body proclaim their mastery of the Intellect. 

Concentration when highly developed implies 



104 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

a comparative anaesthesia to all other impres- 
sions than the one in hand. Distractions do not 
distract, even the ragged edges of competitive 
thoughts gradually disappear until there is ab- 
solute clarity, and with it a feeling of great 
power. It then becomes a state of abstraction, 
a subjective aspect of Intellect which should 
properly be called Meditation, 

Meditation may be either an impalpable rev- 
erie, or it may be a dry, clear, coherent Ideation. 
In either case it is a form of Concentration, 
though comparatively very passive in its qual- 
ity and in that particular quite the antithesis of 
the positive form of thinking usually associated 
with Concentration. Meditation is not unlike 
sleep in its passivity, but it has the value of be- 
ing a state entered voluntarily and for a given 
purpose and is one of the most profitable phases 
of the mental life. 

It is as necessary to be able to " ruminate' ' 
at will as it is to add up a column of figures. 
"What happens during rumination is a sort of 
simmering process by which assimilation and 
general mental unity takes place. It aids per- 



INTELLECT 105 

ceptibly in the notice the mind naturally takes 
of its own operations — it is Reflection, the act 
by which the mind turns upon itself, to weigh 
and ponder its own thoughts and feelings, to 
realize upon its own unknown resources. 

It is, of course, not enough that we should 
think and feel in a subjective way, for the logi- 
cal end of this alone would be a self -annihilat- 
ing sort of ecstasy — but to be able to look within 
with a clear, unshrinking gaze, and to make 
a habit of thus taking stock of one's mental 
assets and liabilities, is a mental function that 
should be performed daily — and is by the real 
quester. The voluntary meditative life is more 
essential to balance and usefulness than the 
much vaunted activity to which we are urged 
by almost everything in our environment. The 
need of solitude is not sufficiently emphasized— 
every one needs to be alone sometimes — and 
there should be a period of Eeflection every 
night before going to sleep in which to revolve 
the matters of the day and put them in their 
proper places. 

Furthermore, Meditation is one of the doors 



106 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

into the Universal Consciousness — to go into 
it is like entering a beautiful room in one's 
house set aside as a sanctuary. It enables one 
to plumb the depths and richness of the thought 
world. It brings relaxation; without its sooth- 
ing ministrations we are quick to tire under 
the high geared pace that life imposes upon us, 
and find ourselves with a paucity of that power 
and enthusiasm which alone makes life worth 
living. The word Contemplation, which best 
expresses the exalted mental activity made pos- 
sible by Meditation, implies the going into a 
temple, the cutting off of the distractions of the 
world of sense and resting upon the poised cen- 
tre to be found within. It also represents an 
entrance into that " silence' 7 wherein may be 
heard the voice of Nature — it is thus very often 
associated with acts of devotion or communion, 
and is beyond a doubt the means of a perfect 
passage from the world of materiality and 
sensation into the world of reality and pure 
knowledge. 

This interior world is unhappily closed to 
those who persist in living only in the world 



INTELLECT 107 

of things, but the subjective phases of the in- 
tellectual life come naturally to those of the 
thoughtful or reflective temperament. It pro- 
duces the philosophers and mystics and is a 
great joy and solace to its possessors. 

Even in the less intense and isolated forms, 
all intellectual action brings its own peculiar 
satisfactions. He who has it is never lonely or 
looking for occupation. Always there is some- 
thing to ' ' think about ' ' ; through printed pages 
the great minds of all ages are open to him, 
his friends and interests are not limited by time 
or distance. He often finds fascination in the 
mere study of words — symbols of man's 
thoughts and feelings as they are — and he is 
ever keen to increase his own power of expres- 
sion through words, knowing that the channel 
of the Intellect is one of the most permanent 
and powerful of all. 

There are, I suppose, people who " think too 
much." They suffer from a multiplicity of 
mental images, which are apt to be vivid and 
persistent, and which tend to a permanent state 
of intellectual doubt if not of actual bewilder- 



108 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

ment. They are tormented by a mental con- 
flict which is as disturbing as an emotional con- 
flict. They usually see both sides of a question 
at once and can argue equally well for the af- 
firmative or negative ; and though this capacity 
may at times produce both confusion and an- 
noyance, it is a distinct advantage when it can 
be held in check; for it is true that the more 
highly intellectual a man becomes, the less par- 
tisan he is able to be. The "judicial tempera- 
ment' y is rarely if ever united to an insignifi- 
cant intellect; but it needs strong sympathies 
and a unified Will to make it effective. 

The ability to see a problem from all angles 
is the mark not only of " broad-mindedness,' ' 
but is the essential point of departure for a 
student of truth. It is necessary of course to 
guard against uncertainty and vagueness but 
it is equally necessary to be as impartial and 
universal in one's thought as it is possible to be 
in this world of illusions. 

Yet while I am counselling the development 
and more skilled use of the Intellect, I desire 
to show that the only true value in such de- 



INTELLECT 109 

velopment is that of perfecting an instrument. 
As an end in itself it is so little worth while. 
Intellectual action alone, without emotion and 
imagination, tends to fixity, inflexibility, and 
artificiality. An example of this result is the 
type known as the " money-maker," who 
through calculation and shrewdness exercises 
his intellectual powers to great advantage ; but 
this is living on the surface and has little in it- 
self of satisfaction or permanent value. Not 
but that ' ' business ' ' can be a noble pursuit, with 
the best of opportunities for all one 's powers — 
it can even be filled with romance and poetic 
feeling as well as practical advantage. But all 
intellectual life, without the warmth and sensi- 
tiveness of the heart, without the vitality of 
great purposes, without the touch of the "soul" 
in it, is as dust and ashes. 

For insight and power, for health and pros- 
perity, for the realization of all our dreams, 
we need directed thinking; but in the perfect- 
ing of this marvellous instrument of the mind, 
the Intellect, let us not forget the greater 
things that await its usage. 



CHAPTER III 
IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF EXTENSION" AND KE- 
TENTION 

Imagination, or the image-making faculty of 
the mind, is the power of presenting to con- 
sciousness objects other than those directly per- 
ceived through the senses. To understand 
what I shall say about it, the reader must dis- 
possess himself of the common notion that it 
has any connection with the meaning usually 
ascribed to the word "imaginary" — that is, in 
the sense of being erroneous, impossible, or 
"unreal." True Imagination is not synony- 
mous with fancy or chimera, but is, on the 
contrary, our most important constructive fac- 
ulty and may be said to perform the initial and 
essential part in every human act. 

Probably the reader is beginning to perceive, 
if he has not always known, that "man does 

no 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 111 

not live by his senses alone' '; that he has an 
inner life quite real and distinct from anything 
concerned with outward experiences and im- 
pressions. This life is, from my point of view, 
of such ultimate and supreme importance, that 
I present these psychological studies principally 
as a means of exploring its possibilities and 
plumbing its hidden depths. To this end a 
careful examination of the Imagination is vi- 
tal, as it is pre-eminently a subjective function. 
We are all familiar with the curious capacity 
of the mind to re-present by means of mental 
pictures the objects we have seen, or experi- 
ences through which we have passed. It is as 
though at the moment of seeing or experiencing 
a thing we were able to put on some inner closet 
shelf an exact image or counterpart of that 
object or experience ; and by the process called 
recollection we may enter that closet at will and 
view its contents. Sometimes the objects 
therein collected are more like jacks-in-the-box, 
possessing concealed springs that cause them to 
jump out at us in the least expected moments ; 
neither are all of these images beautiful or 



112 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

pleasant to contemplate (hence the ' 'family 
skeleton' ' to be found in some closet in every 
house). But the fact remains that we do carry 
about with us a mental museum or junkshop 
which exists solely by virtue of the re-produc- 
tive function of the Imagination. It is this 
faculty which constitutes Memory and which 
we will consider first. 

By reason of his capacity for retentiveness, 
man bears with him indelibly the marks of all 
his previous experiences — probably it is why 
he can never entirely escape that intangible 
something represented by his "past." How 
can it be otherwise when he carries with him 
tucked safely away in innumerable brain cells, 
all that he has ever seen, heard, felt or known? 

Indeed, if he did not thus retain all his past 
experience, he would have no standard of 
measurement, no faculty of comparison, noth- 
ing by which to judge present acts and thus 
"learn his lessons." Furthermore, in his 
power of recollecting the past, lies also his 
power of constructing the future, and what is 
still more important, his appreciation of the 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 113 

reality of the present; for time and space are 
but creations of the Imagination, necessary 
mechanisms for projecting the interior con- 
cepts of the mind upon the screen of life. 

The important thing to realize is, that how- 
ever jumbled or vague our various impressions 
may be, they are never lost to us. The fact 
that they do abide with us and that under cer- 
tain conditions we may have access to them, is 
our reason for claiming Memory in a sense not 
possessed by the animals. We should dismiss 
the idea that Memory is a separate function 
of the mind with a special "seat" in the brain. 
It merely represents the impressibility and re- 
taining power of the mind and is the result of a 
kind of photographic process which is con- 
stantly taking place. If our powers of per- 
ception, attention, and receptivity are all in 
good working order, we have an automatic prod- 
uct termed Memory, Beyond this, Memory is 
hard to define, for it is like an aroma, as elusive 
as the fragrance of a flower — it is something 
"thrown off," from a normally functioning 
mental organism. 



114 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

An inability to "remember" is but one of 
the many annoying evidences often forced upon 
us that our mental machinery is not running 
smoothly and that there is friction or waste 
somewhere. It may mean defective visualiz- 
ing power, or it may mean mere disorderliness. 
Whatever the cause it can be remedied by the 
application of proper psychological exercises; 
for "loss of memory" is a simple psychological 
phenomenon of a pathological nature, a symp- 
tom of "sand in the machinery," which needs 
but proper diagnosis and care to be mastered. 

Most memory-training "systems" overlook 
the real causes of forgetfulness and attempt 
to remedy the defects by purely objective 
means, such as the association between words, 
etc. Such methods are mostly props, if not 
delusions, and fail because they have no proper 
foundation, not being built upon any true knowl- 
edge of the mind. They may be useful in so 
far as they emphasize the necessity for a tech- 
nique of thinking, but they do not supply the 
need to which they call attention. 

A good Memory is really a matter of being 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 115 

able to concentrate. Some people concentrate 
easily, it is a subconscious habit with them. 
Others scatter all their thoughts and thus blur 
every impression. For our mental pictures, 
whether the result of things seen and heard, or 
based upon abstract interior conceptions, must 
be vivid and clear-cut to be retained. 

Whatever we really centre our mind upon, 
we are not likely to forget. The attention may 
be bestowed momentarily or even uncon- 
sciously, but it must be bestowed. When to this 
we add the power of Interest and Desire, we 
have the best and strongest mental images, the 
best conditions, for a good Memory. Even 
minor objective details can be retained in this 
way, if we but learn the secret of making vivid 
impressions at will, thus stamping the thought 
indelibly on the sensitive plate of the subcon- 
sciousness. Our thought force is usually so 
dispersed and therefore so enfeebled, that it is 
no wonder we are unable to retain much or ac- 
curately. 

To keep any one thought or object in the 
mind clearly, it must be vitalized by attention. 



116 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

In a normal well trained mind, this would not 
need to be done consciously each time, though 
as a step to that much-to-be-desired condition 
of a " perfect memory" it is a practice not to be 
omitted. 

There is of course involuntary Memory, when 
we retain pictures of things we have seen but 
did not notice at the" time, when images reap- 
pear which were not created by any conscious 
act of will. Such occur more readily in con- 
nection with intense emotional experiences, 
showing that in a highly sensitized state of 
mind, the keenness of its impressions is greatly 
enhanced. Who has not thus remembered some 
trivial detail, such as that in the midst of a 
certain great emotional crisis he stood on a blue 
carpet? 

Certain hypnotic experiments have been 
made, proving that the mind thus takes cog- 
nizance of and retains indefinitely many im- 
pressions without any conscious knowledge — 
and these impressions are not always through 
the eyes, or any of the senses for that matter, 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 117 

though they add immeasurably to our store of 
knowledge. 

Since so many of our mental images are in- 
voluntary and undiscriminating ones, unbidden 
reproductions of things that we have experi- 
enced, seen or known, the importance of un- 
dertaking a conscious and vigorous control 
of them is manifest. Memory is a precious 
possession, affording as it does a constant 
standard of comparison and a criterion by which 
to measure present activities. Also by means 
of it we can furnish our minds with all that is 
useful and lovely in life and enhance our pleas- 
ures to an unlimited degree, by being able to 
re-live them again in the Imagination, and by 
relating them afresh to all that we know and 
feel, until they present a whole fabric of irides- 
cent beauty. But without a well developed 
selective power, without the control of the cen- 
sor Intellect, we are constantly retaining and 
reviewing many useless, if not unpleasant 
or harmful, images. Most of us are quite 
swamped at times by unwanted and disagree- 



118 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

able thoughts and feelings which have had their 
origin in the past, and over which we seem pow- 
erless. If not mastered or dispersed, these may 
hold us like a cloud of black imps to darken all 
our days. Such are the " fixed ideas," the un- 
solicited impressions, that arise from an exag- 
gerated memory, an over-susceptibility of the 
retentive faculty. 

Fortunately unpleasant experiences like 
these can be avoided by the wise expedient of 
taking care to disperse the disturbing images at 
the time they originate. If such an effort were 
made every day, the time would never come 
when the mind was more like an old neglected 
cistern than the clear flowing stream it ought to 
be. We should take time to arrange our 
thoughts, with a view to erasing the effects of 
such as are not pleasing or helpful. There is 
a psychic process by which thoughts can be 
completely annihilated — and if not successful 
in this we can at least relegate them to the 
closet shelf in such a manner that they will no 
longer hurt or trouble us. 

We often hear lamentations and complaints 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 119 

of an inability to * i remember ' ' ; but if the truth 
were told, there is far more suffering from an 
inability to "forget." It would be an unthink- 
able burden to have to carry in our objective 
consciousness every item of experience, every 
scrap of information, every impression we ever 
received. From this horror we are mercifully 
relieved in our capacity to "forget," or drop 
into the limbo of the subconsciousness that 
which we do not need in the present. Only, we 
don't even know how to forget properly, and 
many people carry with them all their lives the 
most undesired remembrances. 

Nothing, as I have said, ever really leaves 
the mind, which has once entered it — and this 
should be a consolation to those who think they 
have "no memory." But to those to whom 
this idea is painful, I can offer hope, because 
the whole faculty of retention can be brought 
under the domination of the will in such a way 
as to distribute and harmonize all the impres- 
sions ever received. When this is effectually 
done, certain forms are dissipated and only the 
elements remain, thus freeing the mind from 



120 THE PSYCHOLOGY OP BEHAVIOUR 

irritating images: there is no over-intensity 
on any one particular point, no strain or pres- 
sure to inflame the surrounding parts. 

To make my meaning clear, I will give an 
example which we may all observe at times— 
that is, the after effects of severe grief or pain. 
Take two cases in which some personal loss may 
represent the same degree of sorrow and suf- 
fering. In one case there will be a complete, 
perhaps even rapid, readjustment to life. The 
sensitiveness to pain will be no less keen, the 
images no less vivid, but the final result will be 
as it should be, fairly complete internal har- 
mony. In another case with the same circum- 
stances, there will be an accentuation of the ex- 
perience, a clinging thereto, an intense re-liv- 
ing of all the pain associated with it, until the 
balance of the mental organism is so disturbed 
that it stands little chance of ever being able 
to right itself. This is the type of mind that 
is apt to run to " fixed ideas" and makes end- 
less trouble for itself. 

With a combination of ultra-sensitiveness, 
over-intensity, and a lack of internal harmoniz- 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 121 

ing power, much suffering and often irrepara- 
ble injury is caused to the mental machinery. 
People of a vivid imaginative temperament 
should cultivate two things; first, a resiliency 
of spirit and compactness of organization that 
will give a healthy rebound from all shocks. 
This will provide the right reaction and thus 
enable them to withstand all misfortune. Sec- 
ondly, they should take especial care as to what 
impressions they permit to enter their minds, 
and work assidiously to eliminate all the irri- 
tating and destructive ones. They should do 
all this and yet avoid introspection; using all 
their natural tenacity, or holding power, to keep 
the right pictures and to soften and sublimate 
the disturbing ones. Only so will these gifted 
people avoid much ultimate damage and con- 
fusion. 

This readjusting process is all the work of 
the Imagination. We should understand that 
to merely blot a picture from out of the con- 
scious mind is not real "forgetting,"— whether 
it be done voluntarily by great effort, or 
whether it occur accidentally and unintention- 



122 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

ally. To lose the power of recalling to con- 
sciousness at will something that was once 
known or thought of, is annoying enough: but 
to be unable to reshape our images at mil is far 
worse. The former defect can be remedied by 
better concentration and increased visualizing 
power. But to "forget" in the sense in which 
I* am now using it, means not only to drop 
below the surface of the mind but to erase from 
the total consciousness the effect of certain 
original disturbing causes. It is essentially a 
process of reconstruction rather than obscura- 
tion, and is a practical possibility because of 
the creative quality of the Imagination. 

We all suffer at times from a dislike of facing 
disagreeable things and prefer to push them 
from out the field of immediate consciousness 
rather than to reflect upon them until their 
power of annoying us is dissipated or mastered. 
It is the line of least resistance and it avails us 
little. We escape nothing by it : on the contrary 
we but increase the burden of that inevitable 
day when the neglected unwelcome thought- 
images come trooping back to mock us. And 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 123 

indeed they often do this work in secret, under- 
mining the best of superstructures, as the 
Freudians have so well shown us. But for 
every enemy we have a weapon, and in this case 
a very powerful one, for the work of the Imag- 
ination is not only to re-produce, it is in itself a 
supreme productive agent. 

There is nothing new under the sun, and 
thought is a universal substance, equally avail- 
able to all of us. But there is such a thing as 
originality, and it consists in being able to 
rearrange all the images present in our minds, 
so as to produce a new combination. We have 
developed these images through experience, 
sense-impressions, and also by intuition or first- 
hand knowledge; and no two people ever put 
them together alike. Those whose patterns are 
the most unlike the whole mass or group- 
thought are the most original — and original- 
ity is the distinctive attribute of an active Im- 
agination, an important phase of the productive 
mind. 

Now it is quite true that we cannot conceive 
of anything which is not, that is, the ideas of 



124 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

which our images are composed are somewhere 
existent and always have been, in that imma- 
nent Mind or Intelligence which constitutes the 
stream of consciousness upon which we for ever 
draw. Our part is to give new shape and sem- 
blance to the thought-elements, which otherwise 
presumably remain undifferentiated and form- 
less. 

The inventions of the aeroplane and tele- 
phone, for instance, were conceived in the Im- 
agination of some gifted mind. They are con- 
cretized forms of abstract ideas such as flying, 
floating, space, gravitation, sound, vibrations, 
etc. All these things come within the range 
of general experience : the perception and com- 
bination of them resulting in the aeroplane and 
telephone is the result of pure creativeness and 
originality — the invention of some particular 
mind ; but the function is more or less active in 
all of us, and not confined to mechanical inven- 
tions alone by any means. 

It is of course not difficult to recognize the 
creativeness of the Imagination in invention, 
or in works of art, such as music and painting; 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 125 

but except by Psychologists the association be- 
tween Imagination and the *nore ordinary acts 
of life is not so clearly recognized. 

All psycho-physical activity is the result of 
previous psycho-physical processes, that is, we 
can perform no act that we have not previously 
been able to visualize. Not all these visual 
images are by any means conscious, as in the 
case of the child who instinctively reaches for 
food before he has been able to think out the 
process. Nevertheless, were it not for the 
possession by inheritance or otherwise of the 
mental image, no act would ensue. The effi- 
ciency of any act is very largely determined by 
the quality or vividness of the mental picture 
that preceded it, hence the people of quick, alert 
activity are the people of strong, clear Imagi- 
nation. Whenever confronted by a problem 
their mind grasps the essentials of it and rear- 
ranges them into a product that is quickly trans- 
lated into action — such never fail in " presence 
of mind." 

In sleep we have a successive jumble of im- 
ages which appear to be the most bizarre of 



126 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

inventions possible; the difference between 
these and the most finished work of art, which 
was produced by inspiration as we say, is solely 
one of orderliness or the reasoning process. 
Subconscious reasoning means the logical rela- 
tion and sequence of mental images — it means 
visualizing in an orderly way. In other words, 
the creation of a picture which is held in the 
inner eye is the beginning of every activity — 
the inception of all accomplishment takes place 
in the Imagination. 

It is important that the visualizing power be 
not impaired, as it often is, by various dis- 
turbances to the psychic life. One should be 
able, without difficulty, for instance, to graphi- 
cally depict to oneself all incidents or feelings 
out of past experience that have any mental or 
emotional value. Things with strong emotional 
associations are naturally the most vital and 
clear, but mental recollections should also be 
vivid. Some people are not very successful in 
creating a mental image of persons or places 
with which they have been most familiar — even 
to close the eyes and reproduce in the Imagina- 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 127 

tion an object just previously heheld is difficult 
for some ; but it should be possible to so drama- 
tize all experiences as to make them live again 
in the mind when one desires. Train yourself 
until you can visualize anything you choose, 
from a rose to a complete Utopia. Once accom- 
plished, this power will serve you well; but 
without being able to readily re-create what one 
has previously experienced, how can one hope to 
mould a clear well-cut model for any future 
achievement. 

To make a mental image not based on facts 
proves a stumbling block to many, they can 
only image that which is, or has been, present 
to sense — all pictures of the future have for 
them to be predicated on the actualities of the 
present. If they are encased in limitations 
and afflictions today, they cannot create an 
image of freedom for tomorrow. Such as these 
find difficulty in availing themselves of the prin- 
ciples of mental healing, one of which absolutely 
requires the formation of an image of health 
in the mind of the patient, irrespective of the 
present conditions. It is surprising how few 



128 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

people can think of themselves as being well if 
immediate circumstances are to the contrary. 

If the would-be inventor of the telephone had 
said "the sound of the human voice cannot 
travel so far, there is no means of conducting 
it," he would have been stating a fact then ex- 
istent; but his success with the invention was 
solely dependent upon the power of his Imagi- 
nation to ignore this condition, and to conceive 
an original idea, out of "thin air" if you will, 
but in reality out of his own creative intelli- 
gence. Ergo, there is no greater mistake than 
to say of anything, "it can't de done" — unless 
one desires to seal its doom. 

There are two kinds of imaging, the aimless, 
as in reverie, and the directed, as in reflection or 
any conscious thinking-out process. 

Eeverie has a definite value and place in the 
mental life and while if over-indulged it may 
become a source of weakness or danger, it is 
very necessary as the relaxing passive element 
with which to balance the more usual activity 
of the Imagination. The exigencies of daily 
affairs ordinarily require that we hold a tight 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 129 

rein and adhere to certain courses. As a con- 
trast to this, it is essential that there should be 
periods when the mind may be permitted to 
roam of its own accord, when we may indulge in 
thoughts of things that are forbidden by the 
usual press of externalities — thus one may en- 
joy again the delights of some previous experi- 
ence, or concoct new ones, made up half of hope 
and half of memory. Not infrequently one is 
the recipient of real " inspirations' ' at such 
times — the creative life being so sternly re- 
pressed by our constant and enforced activity, 
wells up at last to warm us with its greater 
richness and attractiveness. 

Naturally, nearly all mental images are 
closely associated with the emotions, and the 
danger of too much " day-dreaming' ' or build- 
ing " castles in the air" is obvious. Yet, were 
it not for the Imagination wherein repressed 
emotions find a natural vent, the pressure and 
friction would be very great indeed. Modern 
life gives but little room for the play of fancy, 
the poetic, the romantic, the mysterious, the 
sensuous — all are smothered or held in check. 



130 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

The inhibitions of convention and the require- 
ments of a highly organized society lop off so 
many avenues of natural emotional expression 
that the Imagination tends to become over- 
crowded with images of the affective or feeling 
life. Things that would never linger there be- 
come intense and even obsessing when physical 
and emotional activity is limited. Yet in the 
absence of normal, healthy avenues of dis- 
charge, the Imagination is the only outlet. It 
has indeed a true value in itself as a safety 
value and a respite from the restrictions that 
even normal life imposes ; but the balance must 
be found and held. 

Among the destructive habits that develop 
from a repressed Imagination, is the extensive 
use of drugs and intoxicants, common to all 
peoples. The means are dangerous and ar- 
tificial, and the end sought is unrevealed to 
most of their users, but the result is, neverthe- 
less, a liberation and expansion of the psychic 
faculties not so easily obtained, otherwise, in 
this world of materiality. The desire to ex- 
perience, at least occasionally, the flights of 




IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 131 

Imagination which occur automatically in cer- 
tain subjective states, is practically universal. 
One does not, for that reason, counsel the use 
of artificial stimulants, only, it is well to under- 
stand something of the reason for their wide- 
spread prevalence. 

The tobacco user speaks of how smoking 
"soothes his nerves,' ' not realizing that he is 
thus expressing the need for some sort of suit- 
able reaction from his artificial tensions. The 
delights of the opium user are well known. 
The same sense of freedom, which is experi- 
enced under this drug is also not infrequently 
induced by various anaesthetics which set 
free certain nerve centres otherwise inhib- 
ited. 

The dangers of such usages, and the inevita- 
ble harm that results from forming a habit in 
connection with them, is not due to the alluring 
use of the imaginative faculties thus made pos- 
sible, or even to the physical reactions, unpleas- 
ant and destructive though they may be. The 
real peril lies in the dependence placed upon 
an artificial stimulus, and the weakening of 



132 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

will resulting from so soon finding it indispen- 
sable. 

That the call to free the imagination is 
strong, may be guessed from the frequency with 
which such means are adopted. The ease with 
which many people come to feel that such things 
are requisite should give us pause, and be rea- 
son for a careful study of the psychological 
process involved in the experience. Even a 
cursory look into this matter would be enough 
to prevent our grudging the poor man his glass 
of beer in which he is supposed to " drown his 
sorrows." Through the narrowness of his en- 
vironment he has learned little enough of other 
ways in which to release himself from the con- 
stantly impinging presence of cold, hard facts ; 
and little wonder is it that he seeks such solace 
as he may, in what is called the "cup of for- 
getfulness." 

Medical men who work in the slums have re- 
ported that among people who are too poor to 
have even the glass of beer, or a pipe to smoke, 
they have occasionally found the curious habit 
of steadfastly staring at a lighted lamp, or 




IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 133 

other bright object, with the unconscious pur- 
pose of becoming self -hypnotized into compara- 
tive subjectivity. Thus unwittingly do the ig- 
norant seek respite from the everlasting burden 
of objectivity and sense-impressions — an escape 
similar to, but not quite the same, as that ob- 
tained in sleep, where the Imagination is turned 
loose in dreams. 

All these things show only too plainly the 
need for directed thinking in relation to the 
Imagination as well as to the Intellect. Obvi- 
ously, it needs "free play" — but quite as clearly 
it is a force to be harnessed and subjugated to 
the Will. Especially is this true because the 
Imagination, more than any other faculty, leads 
the way in the formation of character and 
determines the quality of all our actions. It 
does this because it creates all our mental pic- 
tures, the prevailing ones of which materialize 
themselves in the personality. 

There is no psychological law better estab- 
lished than the one concerned with the material- 
ization of Thought, The nature of all thought 
is to externalize itself and this law requires 



134 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

that every intense image shall be actualized 
in some outward form. So strong is this se- 
quence that it is not safe to admit any repre- 
sentation to consciousness if its subsequent ex- 
ternal materialization is not desired. Fleet- 
ing and vague images do not of course have any 
weight and because of their lack of vitality die 
in the embryonic stage — but an intense and un- 
wavering desire or mental picture is as certain 
to produce its counterpart in the external world 
as the day is to follow the night. 

From this significant fact has arisen a certain 
cult that makes a point of telling you that you 
can "get what you want" just by "expecting" 
it. Expectation is a mighty force, but needless 
to say it has to be properly co-ordinated with 
many other elements in the mind before becom- 
ing usefully active. For one thing it must be 
united with Intention. A mere vapoury wish 
does not usually materialize itself, but an in- 
tention always does, if not deflected by other 
counter-elements. 

As a matter of fact a clear strong image al- 
ways implies an intention of some sort, be- 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 135 

cause it is a representation of a desire. The 
fundamental projective nature of desire will be 
treated in the following chapter. Here we 
have only to do with the imaginative powers; 
but there is probably no fact in the whole of 
Psychology that is more significant and pro- 
found than the one that shows us the Imagina- 
tion as the source and starting-point of all our 
actions. Every thought or concept that is con- 
ceived bears in it a potential energy that leads 
inevitably to expression of some kind. 

The concretizing of an image or idea al- 
ways results in action. Usually this is direct, 
such as the instinctive caresses resulting from 
mental images of tenderness or affection; but 
in the case of artists, or those of strongly 
imaginative temperament, their haunting ideas 
may take form in the production of a work of 
art rather than in a direct physical way. Their 
images tend to this form of creativeness rather 
than ordinary objective activity, which ac- 
counts for what is called their ' ' impractical- 
ity." When such a tendency becomes extreme 
the creator is over-balanced on the side of in- 



136 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

trospection and subjectivity and there is a loss 
of the sense of reality leading ultimately to 
complete hallucination. 

When there is an unequable or inhibited 
state of mind in which the imaginative life does 
not find its way out into some sort of expres- 
sion, the naturally fluid state of the conscious- 
ness is interfered with and ends in a patho- 
logical condition of more or less seriousness. A 
detachment ensues from the life of fact and 
objectivity, there is a split in the consciousness 
which drives the sufferer still deeper into his 
own involved imaginative processes and sepa- 
rates him in proportion from externality. If 
taken in hand early, such a tendency can be 
rectified and a marriage established between 
the practical and the psychical elements of con- 
sciousness. 

In children where the impulse is strong to 
live in a world of their own creation, we some- 
times observe a loss of the sense of reality which 
deprives them of the power of clear distinction 
between subjective and objective phenomena. 
They cannot tell whether the things they think 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 137 

are "real" or imaginary — often the inventions 
of their own fancy appear much more actual 
to them than do obviously objective things. 
The greatest mistake possible in such cases is 
to imply untruthfulness or wilful misrepresen- 
tation; quiet reasoning frequently repeated, 
with suitable physical activity will serve to re- 
store the child quite naturally to the needed 
balance. Indeed there is a period in childhood 
during the development of the imaginative life 
when it is absolutely necessary for him to be 
allowed freedom in the realm of his own Imag- 
ination. We should not forget that the very 
faculty we so often seek to curb is one of the 
most stimulating and precious in our posses- 
sion and that ordinarily no pains should be 
spared to foster it during the period of its 
natural inception — that is, in childhood. 

Instead of this, however, the custom is to 
disperse with the rude hand of "experience" 
or "mature judgment" the delicate and gos- 
samer-like creations of the childish imagination. 
What buds we destroy that might later bear 
beautiful blossoms, there is no telling. Cer- 



138 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

tain it is that by our impatience and inexcus- 
able matter-of-factness, we often injure past 
all remedying the most vital spark in the youth- 
ful mind. 

In the midst of the pedagogic babel of the 
day, one is able to discern but a few sane pre- 
cepts for the cultivation of the child. Among 
these, however, is the important one that an 
objective education begun too early is a serious 
hindrance to the development of the child, as it 
strongly tends to repress his natural creative- 
ness and destroy his equally natural subjectiv- 
ity, wherein we know not how many beautiful 
things are being conceived and nurtured, which 
in the normal course of events would come to 
fruition later in life. 

A child's education up to nine or ten years 
should ordinarily consist only of simple but 
true answers to his instinctive questions, with 
the addition of such toys or play materials as 
will afford scope for his Imagination. Among 
these are all the things with which he can build 
or construct, but the simpler they are the 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 139 

better, such as sand or wet clay, enabling him to 
mould and give form to all his simpler concepts. 
He thus symbolically expresses in its primitive 
form what he will later develop through the 
complexities of a more mature mental life. 

The child's most valuable asset, that is curi- 
osity, will not vent itself in destructive channels 
if he is supplied with the right material for his 
natural inventiveness. In the case of a very 
active or vital child, to supply this need re- 
quires some ingenuity in these days of civilized 
artificiality; but if parents would expend even 
a little time and interest in providing suitable 
material for their children, the next generation 
would be a surprising improvement on this one. 

The child's whole growth is led by the de- 
velopment of his Imagination, and as he is 
usually more a product of his environment than 
anything else, his mental images as he grows 
older are not apt to exceed those of the people 
around him or of his station in life. He does 
not expect more than a certain quota and kind 
of experience and is therefore not able to pro- 



140 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

duce it; which is a pity, for it is very much 
this quality of expectancy that determines the 
scope of a man's achievement. 

If a child were constantly discouraged in his 
efforts to learn to walk, if he were told from 
the beginning that he never could or should 
walk, his Imagination would be so stunted by 
this treatment as to prevent his ever develop- 
ing this most instinctive and natural function. 
And to face the facts quite frankly, nine-tenths 
of our illnesses and general inhibitions are built 
up out of just such training, by constantly hear- 
ing that we must "be careful" and "not to do 
this or that." By constant references, inten- 
tional or otherwise, to our mistakes, supposed 
ignorance, stupidities, and insufficiencies, we 
grow up with such a clamp on our Imagination 
as to be unable to believe in either beauty or 
proficiency for ourselves. What a degradation 
we have fostered here, only some one like a 
Psycho-therapist can know, who daily hears 
and sees evidences of various cramping and 
detrimental habits, of thwarted hopes, of dead- 
ened or perverted Imaginations. 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 141 

Perhaps the reader will discern at this point 
some connection between what I have just said 
and the so-called "imaginary" diseases. No 
condition is "imaginary" if it exists; the fact* 
that it may be existing only in the mind of the 
sufferer does not make it any the less real for 
that. Practically all the ills that flesh is heir 
to are connected with, if not the direct outcome 
of, a diseased imagination, so that those self- 
satisfied ones who pride themselves upon hav- 
ing a "reaP' illness, have much yet to learn as 
to what reality consists in. In any case the 
thought of disease has to be eradicated and the 
Imagination guided into more healthy and con- 
structive channels. 

The dangers of the excessive use of the Im- 
agination have already been indicated. Since 
the exercise of it is a delightful one, it may 
easily draw our interest beyond its proper bal- 
ance and lure us into paths not necessarily 
harmful in themselves, but which by their at- 
traction may draw us too frequently and thus 
destroy the mental equilibrium and wholesome- 
ness. 



142 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

There are natures very prone to this habit, 
natures lacking usually in strong physical qual- 
ities, so that the inclination to think about 
things rather than do them is a very pleasing 
one. We thus see developed habits of vague- 
ness and uncertainty, with a corresponding lack 
of the power of execution. It is so easy by 
means of the Imagination to dramatize one's 
thoughts and experiences, it calls for so little 
exertion and holds such peculiar satisfactions 
of its own, that there is a real and insidious 
harm in allowing this tendency to go unchecked. 

Particularly is this true where the scenes and 
sensations depicted in the mind are more espe- 
cially concerned with the inhibited impulses and 
emotional tendencies. The most deleterious 
habits are often formed this way which — and 
to this I wish to call special attention — are 
injurious, not because of the emotions con- 
cerned in them, not even because they so often 
relate to the sex life, but because being the up- 
risings of instincts and passions which can find 
no expression in the normal, physical life, they 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 143 

are all diverted into and overburden the chan- 
nels of the Imagination. 

That there must be an outlet of some kind is 
obvious, and that this escape valve is auto- 
matically furnished by means of the internal 
psychic life is equally obvious. This is in itself 
perfectly right and normal — the injury arises 
from the fact that all our mental images should 
exist for the sole purpose of initiating concrete 
acts in the world of materiality, and are in- 
tended to precede and dominate the objective 
life. 

What we cannot for one reason or another ex- 
press in the world of materiality, we must find 
some adjustment for. Simple repression is 
usually resorted to, but repression alone is 
dangerous. The original image must be de- 
stroyed, blotted out ; and the desire which gave 
it birth must be transmuted into another form. 

On the whole, it is essential to know and abide 
by this rule — that any idea, feeling, or senti- 
ment recognized as arising from within, which 
does not take form in action, which does not 



144 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

express itself in fact or deed, is certain to re- 
act upon the mental organism- to its serious 
detriment. If strong it will ferment and poison 
the system ; if weak, it will evaporate into mere 
nothingness before it can be used. The mod- 
ern slogan of "do it now" has its value — and 
should be supplemented by "or set it right/' 
To intend to do a thing, to hold the mental pic- 
ture of it and yet never really do it, is about 
as subversive of real progress as anything well 
can be. Perhaps the only thing that is worse is 
to hold on to the image and worry over it. Far 
better would it be never to have conceived the 
idea than to prevent its birth, after the con- 
ception. But then the world is full of abortive- 
ness. 

There is in us all, nevertheless, an undying 
desire to transcend the monotones of life; a 
strong wish to do and be something. We long 
to break the limits of our horizon, knowing in- 
stinctively that we have lived too closely bound 
to earth, scarcely daring to expand to our full 
height. We crave excitement, which is but one 
way of saying how tired we are of the prairie 



IMAGINATION AND MEMORY 145 

tameness stretching out on every side. We 
live in the utmost matter-of-factness — impris- 
oned by our devotion to utilitarianism — when 
life might be one great and unending adventure. 
The answer is, cherish your Imagination. 
Let it take you across the Alps of your hopes, 
never failing to follow it as closely as a shadow, 
The power of your mind to conceive, construct 
and produce is but an augury and a promise: 
believe in it, trust your aspirations; and in 
that time will all your dreams "come true." 



CHAPTER IV 
WILL 

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ACTION" 

Trust in thine own untried capacity, 

As thou wouldst trust in God Himself. 

Thy soul is but an emanation from the whole. 

Thou dost not dream what forces lie in thee, 

Vast and unfathomed as the grandest sea. 

Thy silent mind o'er diamond caves may roll; 

Go seek them; but let pilot Will control 

Those passions which thy favouring winds can be. 

No man shall place a limit to thy strength; 

Such triumphs as no mortal ever gained 

May yet be thine if thou wilt but believe 

In thy Creator and thyself — 

At length, some feet will tread all heights now unattained— 

Why not thine own? 

Press on; Achieve! Achieve! 

E. W. Wilcox. 

Will — is there a word more full of magic? 
Does it not contain enfolded within its silent 
depths almost all that we can conceive of as be- 
ing desirable? For it implies poiver, and with 
power what does it matter with what obstacles 

*46 



WILL 147 

we are confronted, what problems we are asked 
to solve I 

That there is good reason for this universal 
feeling of respect for Will, I shall seek to show ; 
for in its last analysis this towering attribute 
of man represents the original capacity of the 
soul, and can be defined as nothing less than 
the impulse of Life itself, of origin mysterious 
and divine. 

Let us clear our horizon at once of the limited 
view of Will which conceives of it as mere 
dominating selfishness, a power to master or 
influence others, or an unreasoning stubborn- 
ness. Let us also be rid of the concept which 
visions a person of Will as a sort of frozen au- 
tomaton, a being in whom cold intellect super- 
sedes all natural human instinct and emotion. 
Resistlessness is indeed an attribute of the 
will-ful person, but true Will is far deeper than 
all matters of intellect or emotion. 

Will is the machinery for converting the 
static energies of the soul into dynamic power, 
a means of accelerating and expressing the 
Life-urge in every human being. It leads in- 



148 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

evitably into action, it consummates — it is in 
fact, the exact point of application of the ab- 
stract cosmic energy to human life. Or, it may 
be visualized as a galvanic thread on which all 
the activities of life are strung and the force by 
which they are energized. Indeed, so profound 
is Will in its nature that it has been expressed 
by some of the philosophers as being synony- 
mous with God. It is this essentially spiritual 
nature of Will that I wish to emphasize, as I 
consider such a conception the only one lead- 
ing to any proper understanding or use of it. 
If we see Will as a spontaneous expression 
of a deep inner force, a force which animates 
every life and all Life, a Supreme Urge in fact, 
we can for one thing, trust it. If we as human 
beings are, as I conceive it, exfoliations of the 
Divine Mind or Supreme Being, we are also 
expressions of the Supreme Will, and have, in 
our power to will, a divine manifestation or 
"spark"; a faculty which should be as a guid- 
ing star, a criterion, a force upon which to de- 
pend, an unfailing power with which to hew our 
way through life. In it we find our raison 



WILL 149 

d'etre, and because of it we should dare to be- 
lieve in the expression and fulfilment of our 
desires. 

Even that much-prized and elusive thing, a 
" personality/ ' is almost wholly dependent 
upon the degree of development of the Will — 
certainly a will-less person cannot be said to 
have a personality — and the absence of it indi- 
cates more than anything else, a characterless 
being, so lacking in magnetism and direction 
as to be usually passed by unnoticed. 

This wonderful endowment then, this Will 
that impels us to work, to live, to love, in fact 
to all expression and accomplishment, is simply 
the life-force in action; the same as Bergson's 
elan vital, and Freud's Libido. To make it 
more concrete, I shall define it as Desire in Ac- 
tion. 

Let us look into the generic meaning of De- 
sire. In its largest sense, it will be seen to be 
the volition of the universal Mind. This voli- 
tion, or power to act, is implanted in all forms 
of life, but comes to its highest fruition in the 
human mind. It is the urge of which I have 



150 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

already spoken, leading always to movement 
and to activity. 

The Universe is a visible manifestation of 
the Desire of the Supreme Intelligence. Man 
as a microcosm or miniature reproduction of 
the Universal Prototype is an indigitation rep- 
resenting individualized desire; furthermore 
every man has a dominant and peculiar desire 
which distinguishes him from all other men. 
Still further, it is easily to be seen that every 
man is a bundle of many and various desires, 
some of them confused and conflicting, others 
clear and readily perceived; but in their en- 
tirety constituting practically all of his per- 
sonal life. Thus Desire is the determining 
element back of all predispositions and per- 
sonal tendencies, all character, personality and 
" temperament.' ' 

Life as it is lived is an unending struggle to 
satisfy a "want." This want takes on multi- 
tudinous forms, and drives us constantly in an 
endeavour to fulfil an insatiable and eternal de- 
sire. This inward craving for fulfilment ig 



WILL 151 

met by a consciousness of the power to act; 
and it is this which constitutes Will. 

Thus we naturally associate will-power with 
an active or vital person, one who can bring to 
bear upon any problem a moving power suffi- 
cient to consummate and achieve it. 

Will is the point of ignition, as it were, at 
which the potential energies of the soul are 
liberated and converted into active dynamic 
power. It is man's greatest tool for accom- 
plishment. All other of his attributes are sub- 
servient to it. 

The general unawareness of man of his true 
unity with Nature has condemned him for ages 
to a belief in the dominance of the superior 
elements of the Universe rather than in himself. 
It is as though an invisible director were al- 
ways pulling wires from behind the scenes and 
making him act like a puppet. And until he 
awakens to a greater sense of his own capacity, 
he will be doomed to his old belief in "Fate" or 
"Providence" as a force before which he is 
destined to bow in acknowledgment of his own 



152 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

futility. This same universal power is often 
personalized as a God, who must be propitiated 
and conciliated in an endeavour to bend His 
Will if possible in some mysterious way to 
ours. 

Even when Fate is designated as Nature, 
Principle, or First Cause, it has been regarded 
as a thing apart from man, and as being 
hopelessly, impersonally implacable and cold. 
Sometimes too, it has been called a Devil, since 
aught else, devised but to thwart and frustrate. 
" Inherited tendencies" have also been called 
in to account for this mysterious worker which 
seems so often to defy our Will ; and some peo- 
ple, born apparently to create opposition, are 
reduced to the simple ignominy of declaring 
that "the whole world is against them." 

In these various ways has man expressed his 
blind recognition of the existence of some law, 
some force which was bigger than he, and 
against which he seems to be for ever strug- 
gling ; and always he has managed to put him- 
self mostly at cross purposes with this great 



WILL 153 

undercurrent, this transcendent Will, which I 
prefer to call Desire. As for the word Desire, 
he has dragged it in the dust and spat upon it 
as though to challenge with his disapproval this 
supreme force of the Universe. 

When however, man comes to understand his 
relation to all the cosmic energies, as he is 
now beginning to, he will no longer feel that 
sense of separateness, which has driven him to 
supplication as the only means known to him 
for the fulfilment of his desires. He will know 
himself rather as a part of Pate itself, he will 
discover his personal Will to be one of the 
greatest channels of expression for the Divine 
Will. His conception of himself will be raised 
accordingly, he will become aware of his power. 

Perhaps man's evolution has been possible 
only through this long combat, but for those 
who have the intelligence to see, there is a bet- 
ter and happier way than that imposed upon 
us by constant and painful resistance. There 
is in truth such a thing as Free Will. It lies 
in the simple recognition by man himself of his 
oneness with the Universal Will and hence a 



154 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

belief in the power and supremacy of his own. 
The question is not, as Locke said long ago, 
whether the Will be free but whether the man 
be free. My conception of the Superman is 
that his foremost attribute will be an under- 
standing of the law of Freedom, thus making 
his Will paramount. 

I well know the opposition that this attitude 
toward life arouses in many, especially those 
whose lives are cramped and bound. It strikes 
nothing less than terror to the hearts of those 
who have been taught to look upon man as a 
worm of the dust, and disconcerts the gentle 
souls who see in it only irreverence and sedi- 
tion. 

That it endows us with a majesty and Will to 
which we have long been accustomed is no rea- 
son for fear or hesitancy in using the forces of 
nature of which we are now obtaining a knowl- 
edge. "Fate is unpenetrated causes/ ' says 
Emerson — "he who sees through the design 
presides over it and must Will that which must 
be" — "Will is poured into the souls of all men 
as the soul itself which constitutes them men." 



WILL 155 

Therefore we have but to realize the fatefulness 
of our own Wills to become true masters, the 
makers of our own destiny. 

That this mighty precept cannot be applied 
without thought, intelligence, or a sense of val- 
ues, especially spiritual values, I think is self- 
evident. The vital truth that man's Will is in 
its essential nature limitless, has been made un- 
seemly by those of ready tongue, who with no 
foundation or qualification for the statement, 
unequivocally declare — "You can have all you 
want, you only need to want it hard enough." 
I suppose every great teaching has been re- 
flected in some degraded form by the thought- 
less and uninitiated ; but I can conceive of noth- 
ing more shallow or foolish than to urge us to 
seek hastily, without knowledge of the psychol- 
ogy of desire, without consideration even of 
Law and Order, Truth and Fitness, to seize 
upon that which we "want," if we can. Depth 
of thought and sobriety of action are more re- 
quired in this matter of Will than in any other 
department of human activity, for it brings in 
the whole moral question of Duty, or the recog- 



156 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

nition of the rights of others, as well as a 
knowledge of our own capacity. 

The charge is often made, and rightly so, that 
much of the popular teaching regarding the 
human Will is distinctly unethical, in that it 
encourages the rank selfishness of a world al- 
ready overridden with selfishness. This is no 
doubt true, but there is a clear distinction to be 
made between this spurious imitation, and the 
truth concerning the divinity of desire, or the 
right and potent use of our Wills. 

If the latter leads to selfishness, it is but the 
Higher Selfishness which makes us stronger and 
more useful in every way, for from this vantage 
point we do not and cannot make the mistake 
of trying to impinge our own Wills and opin- 
ions upon others. The wise man demands 
freedom but knows that it cannot be acquired 
unless he gives in kind ; and also he looks upon 
life from the esoteric rather than the exoteric 
point of view, seeing the inner meaning and 
valuing the things of mind and soul above 
those of place, power, or position. He knows 
that material things can be acquired or pre- 



WILL 157 

eminence gained, through an application of his 
Will, but he also knows the dangers and futili- 
ties involved in seeking these things for them- 
selves alone, and in striving to advance himself 
at the expense of others. , He knows too that 
often enough the Universal Will is overwhelm- 
ing, as in this present world-war which is upon 
us. Not that a Supreme Being has decreed it 
so but that the totality of human Thought and 
Will has expressed itself in this disastrous and 
overwhelming way. 

The problem is for each one of us to find our 
own little orbit of action, and when found, to 
bring a determinism to bear upon it in such a 
way that it becomes, as nearly as may be, a 
perfect life-unit. Few of us ever see our lives 
in this detached manner, few of us ever believe 
that we can master circumstances enough to 
earn the coveted freedom. 

Our ordinary life is made up of actions that 
are largely automatic, habits and conventions 
that form a crust around our free expression; 
and it is only occasionally that we seem to 
burst through this crust and express our whole 



158 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

selves. It is not always that free action is 
called for; bnt the test of it and the secret of 
acquiring it, lies in a unified personality. It is 
only when onr acts spring from onr whole 
selves that they may be said to express free- 
will. This is not only free-will in the mere 
sense of choice, that is, the ability to select be- 
tween two or more paths of action, but it means 
also real creativeness and an irresistible driv- 
ing power that puts things through. 

There have been many philosophers and 
thinkers to deny the freedom of the Will — it 
is one of the oldest questions of the world and 
it is not yet settled; but those who have de- 
clared that independence of action was futile 
and in the end always defeated, have not reck- 
oned with the constantly unfolding spiritual 
powers in man — such a view clips his wings at 
the outset by teaching him that he can never fly. 

We have only to look about us to see how im- 
perious a man's Will may be — we have only to 
compare lives of inefficiency and failure with 
those where every obstacle, no matter how in- 
surmountable it seemed, was met and overcome 



WILL 159 

by means of a mighty force within. How many 
times do we see a life cast in the moulds of pov- 
erty, ill health, disloyal friends, or unscrupu- 
lous enemies, a life without position, place or 
power in the world, but possessed of a Will 
which chooses its own way and makes that way 
unaided, simply by liberating the force en- 
folded in unquenchable desire, a force which in 
time dissolves every obstacle and surmounts 
all impediments. 

Still, what is surprising to most people is 
to discover that we never do anything that we 
have not willed to do; not consciously willed of 
course, for the deeper phases of Will, always at 
work in the lower levels of consciousness, are 
those which usually determine our actions. 
This invisible element in the Will is the discon- 
certing one, for it is very often in direct opposi- 
tion to the views and purposes of the conscious 
self. It is the reason of the self -frustration 
that causes so much trouble and makes us feel 
that we are the victims of fate. The truth is 
that the restraint lies not without but within, 
and unless the enemy within the gates is extir- 



160 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

pated or reconciled, life remains that which 
it usually appears to be, an endless friction and 
strife, leading only to the despairing and hope- 
less question of "what is the use"? 

Our pet belief is that we are being constantly 
forced by circumstances into various avenues of 
action, all "against our will. ,, Never was 
there a greater delusion, for if we submit to 
an external restraint of any kind, it is because 
we prefer it to the combat necessary to gain our 
freedom. 

So many lives are made up of the breathless 
sort of feeling that comes from constant oppo- 
sition and from the being obliged to do almost 
everything that they do not want to do. Yet 
the fact remains and on closer inspection will 
be seen to be always true, that somewhere 
within the depths of our own make-up, there is 
always a thread of Desire, a purpose, an im- 
pulse, that is solely responsible for our doing 
everything — -even the very things we were ap- 
parently resisting with all our might. It is 
the resistance of our own unconscious desires 
that causes most of the mischief and forces us 



WILL 161 

to remain in conditions we dislike and resent. 
It is these same desires which compel ns in di- 
rections we never thought or dreamed of. And 
it is nothing more or less than our own personal 
"Will, encrusted with all its limitations, whicli 
keeps us just where we are and which deter- 
mines every act of our lives. 

As it is Unconscious Will that accounts so 
largely for the variability of man's behaviour, 
it behooves us to remedy our ignorance, so far 
as we may, of what goes on below the surface. 
Even a cursory inspection reveals the fact that 
we are made up of a bundle of crisscross 
threads and impulses and desires, so, conflicting 
in their nature that the wonder is that we ever 
make a single forward unified movement. "We 
hardly know our own minds at all, being the 
repositories, as we are, of innumerable in- 
herited impulses, and, to some extent, of all 
the Wills of all the other human beings with 
whom we in any way come in contact. 

A brief study of mob psychology is proof, if 
such were needed, of the inability of the aver- 
age human being to protect himself from the 



162 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

Wills of those about him. When these coal- 
esce, as they always do, more or less, especially 
under the strain of any emotional excitement, 
they present a force that is practically irresist- 
ible. In a way it is mob psychology that gov- 
erns us all still and it requires a definite and 
conscious effort to raise one's self from out 
the slough that is made up of one part "in- 
fluence' ' and the other part "susceptibility." 

While the Will constitutes the very citadel of 
our being, it is constantly assaulted because 
of the extremely volatile quality of human na- 
ture, which furnishes the chief cause of divi- 
sion and weakness at the very source and origin 
of all our activities. By volatile, I mean that 
excessive susceptibility that comes of our be- 
longing largely, as yet, to the group conscious- 
ness. Hawthorne expresses this very effec- 
tively somewhere in the "Scarlet Letter." He 
says, "It is anything but agreeable to be 
haunted by a suspicion that one's intellect is 
exhaling } without one's consciousness, like 
ether out of a phial; so that, at every glance, 
you find a smaller . . . residuum," Yet this 



WILL 163 

is what is happening to most of us, practically 
all of the time. We are permitting ourselves 
to be disjpexs&d instead of maintaining the 
necessary integration. 

The progress of humanity is toward individ- 
ualization, which means a recognition by the 
individual of his own power and right to power. 
This represents a degree of ^/-consciousness 
attained only by the few (as Will has hitherto 
been largely a blind force), but it is not beyond 
the reach of any. 

My first prescription therefore for a i ' strong 
Will" is an independent and self-confident atti- 
tude as being the best means to lift us out of 
the group consciousness or race-thought, into 
one of our own making. We are much too 
much influenced by outside things — especially 
by our family, friends, the community and na- 
tion. We do not know what we think or what 
we want, because our habit has been to move 
only in established directions. The paths in 
the brain are mostly deep ruts worn there by 
long use, sustained by reverence for custom 
and tradition, 



164 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

This prevailing attitude has an intimate rela- 
tion to what is called a "weak will." Inher- 
ently every one is the possessor of a Will, else 
he would not be self-existent, to say nothing of 
self-sustaining. The weakness to be observed 
on all sides is the result, not of inherent 
lack of strength, but of a division, due to too 
much obeisance to that which is without and 
not enough recognition of that which is within. 
The consequence is indecisiveness, than which 
there is no more fundamental defect. Even a 
slight degree of indecision disorganizes and 
neutralizes the force of the Will as nothing else 
can, and our aim should be to always act de- 
cisively even in the trivial things of life, rather 
than weigh and balance conditions until our 
original force is diminished or expended. 

To ask the average person what he really 
wants is to throw him into a state of confusion 
in which he flounders indefinitely before he is 
able to catch upon even one thread that will 
hold him. All are desirous of changing and 
bettering their conditions in one way or an- 
other, but few realize that their failure to 



WILL 165 

achieve this progress is due more to an inabil- 
ity to clearly determine what they want and to 
abide by that determination, than to any other 
one factor. Even when recognized, the want 
takes the form of wishing rather than willing, 
which is a purely negative form and accom- 
plishes nothing. 

Will to be effective must therefore be posi- 
tive, concentrated, and unified. The force of 
it is dependent upon the intensity of the desire 
behind it, and the elimination, or subjection at 
least, of every other conflicting desire. It is 
remarkable that so many people are unable to 
co-ordinate their various desires enough to cen- 
tralize them into one general purpose. The 
power of the strongest current of water can be 
nullified, for instance, when it is met by an ob- 
stacle sufficient to turn its concentrated volume 
into a spray of multitudinous and separate 
drops. Many persons with the finest natural 
equipment are thus hopelessly weakened by an 
inability to throw into one steady stream their 
various impulses and purposes. 

The common expression i ' to make a point of ' ' 



166 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

doing something indicates very well the mental 
operation that must prevail where success is 
to be achieved. We must "make a point of," 
that is converge, the conflicting elements in our 
natures until the full weight of them can for 
the time being be put upon a single point. Only 
thus is sufficient power generated to make a for- 
ward movement worth anything. Where so 
many fail is that the force of their Will is dif- 
fused over innumerable interests and half 
formed impulses, until its entire potentiality is 
dispersed and lost. 

To be successful then in the use of the Will re- 
quires a very intimate relation between it and 
the selective discriminating quality of the In- 
tellect, which we have already considered. It 
also means sacrifice, in that no human life is 
strong enough or long enough to satisfy every 
potential desire that springs up within it. 
Something must be eliminated, something 
selected, a singleness of purpose developed to 
secure anything like a full fruition of its power. 

There is a very common habit, especially 
characteristic of Americans, of always "do- 



WILL 167 

rag" something, with comparatively little or 
no direction. It is the result no doubt of an 
intense wish to "get on," admirable enough in 
itself, but detrimental in the extreme unless 
properly balanced and controlled. The ideal 
of our present civilization seems to be emula- 
tion, a desire to excel at any cost in almost 
every field of endeavour. Compared to the 
dreamy passivity of the Oriental, it may be re- 
garded as a virtue, but as a nation we are over- 
balanced in our admiration for "will-power" 
per se, with a comparatively small considera- 
tion of the goal toward which we may be aim- 
ing. More thought should be given to the pur- 
pose of our actions, which would abrogate many 
of them entirely, and make the chosen ones more 
effective. 

This whole question of being too susceptible 
to outside influences may be summed up as rep- 
resenting a negative state of mind. Negativ- 
ity* psychologically speaking, is a state of men- 
tal passivity — not necessarily weakness, but 
frequently leading to weakness because it lacks 
resistance. 



168 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

There are certain natures which may be said 
to be " negative' ' in their general quality, not 
lacking in beauty or attractiveness for this rea- 
son, but usually deficient in that projecting 
power or aggressiveness which is the expres- 
sion of a normally active Will. Such people 
are frequently more agreeable companions 
than the more active ones and are attractive 
because of their very restfulness; just as we 
may sometimes prefer looking at the modest 
hare-bell rather than the naming poppy. Very 
often, too, this passive manner and attitude is 
but external, and conceals a character much less 
yielding than it appears, though as a rule it is 
a sign of dangerous negativity. 

Those born with a sweet and sympathetic 
disposition, given to retiring into the back- 
ground when any more positive personality 
chooses to assert itself, suffer not so much from 
a weak Will, as from a form of sensitiveness 
which becomes positively harmful because of 
its inhibitory action upon their own natural 
impulses. The fact that this nature may be 
fine, or even of exquisite quality, and that it is 



WILL 169 

usually an unselfish one, does not prevent it 
from entertaining too much respect and con- 
sideration for others to properly exercise its 
own rights and desires. It may even become, 
and often does, a regular door-mat, to be im- 
posed upon and walked over by every stronger 
nature in its vicinity — a disastrous phase of 
negativity, needless to say. 

As a Psycho-therapist and adviser to the sick 
and distressed, it has fallen within my province 
to bolster up a wavering self-confidence and to 
encourage more positive and ruthless attitudes 
than could well be believed by those less experi- 
enced in the pains and perplexities of a suffer- 
ing humanity. Strange as it may seem, nega- 
tivity prevails far more than its opposite, a 
positive egotism. Every one has his vulnerable 
spot or weakness, the point where his resistance 
melts away and breaks down. No doubt this is 
fortunate in a world yet governed by selfishness 
and greed — nevertheless, I must urge upon my 
readers the cultivation of that positive state of 
mind that knows no self-distrust, no uncer- 
tainty, no quiescence. 



170 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

Perhaps one of the most desirable natures to 
have is that which hides an iron hand beneath a 
velvet glove — a simile that represents, though 
crudely, the right balance that should be main- 
tained between the negative and positive men- 
tal states. 

Even those possessed of a reasonably active 
and positive Will are often caught in the en- 
tangling mesh of "following the line of least 
resistance. ' ' Unfortunately for those who love 
ease, the easiest way is seldom the best way. 
It means sliding rather than propelling, going 
with the current rather than creating a cur- 
rent for one's self. Great are the delusions 
that people create for themselves to hide the 
fact that they are not willing to make a fight, 
exert the necessary amount of resistance to 
overcome the various circumstances which arise 
as obstacles in their path. 

To follow the line of least resistance is in- 
deed simply following an opposite attraction 
of some sort; it pleases them better, though 
they may not think so, to continue floating 
along the stream of circumstance than to 



WILL 171 

buckle down and do some hard rowing. It is 
sheer mental laziness, a general dislike for ex- 
ertion, a hatred of disturbance, and it leads to 
a damaging procrastination, if not to complete 
frustration and loss. It is one of the most in- 
sidious as well as common forms of the nega- 
tive state of mind, and it can be eradicated only 
by earnest determined practice, a discipline 
that allows no slips, no variations in its self- 
imposed rigour. 

Closely allied to the generally negative trend 
of most minds, is the paralyzing force of Habit. 
Habit in itself is constructive enough, indeed 
absolutely essential in that it enables us to turn 
over to the subconsciousness the doing of in- 
numerable things which would be painfully la- 
borious did they not so easily become automatic. 
Habit, however, like everything else must be 
properly balanced to be ii^eful and many of 
us are standing helplessly on the negative side 
of this mental attribute. We are " staying 
put'' with a vengeance, remaining bound by 
customs the usefulness of which we have long 
since outgrown. 



172 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

The amazing number of early inhibitions 
which are uncovered by present psycho-ana- 
lytic methods, serves as a sufficient warning to 
the wise of the habitual attitude. How many 
people are doing foolish things because they 
never thought of doing them any other way. 
How many refrain from new lines of action just 
because ' i it isn 't done. ' ' How many of the pre- 
cepts acquired in childhood have been bete 
noires which we dare not attack. 

Nothing is so inhibitory to the development 
of new ideas as Habit. It is so much easier to 
go on in the old grooves than it is to carve out 
new ones ; but who of us would not rather have 
the initiative to blaze a new trail than to follow 
unresistingly in the old ones? To be success- 
ful in the use of the Will signifies somewhat 
of iconoclasm. One must dare to be a bieaker 
of idols would he give evidence of his divine 
origins. 

We have already considered that phase of 
negativity which inclines to bow before the 
opinions and force of others, thus causing a di- 
vision within the self ; we have now to consider 



WILL 173 

another and even more important phase of it 
which has to do with that inner conflict personal 
to each hnman being, that battle and separa- 
tion within himself which is an inevitable source 
of trouble and weakness until the all important 
lesson of self-mastery has been learned. I 
have already touched upon this in my refer- 
ence to the necessity for personal discipline, and 
I shall consider still more fully in the succeed- 
ing chapter the nature and significance of Emo- 
tion as a driving force in human nature, and as 
the greatest obstacle to the supremacy of In- 
tellect and conscious Will. I wish here simply 
to call attention to the dominance of unreason- 
ing Feeling as the worst enemy of the free use 
of the Will, and show that the autonomy of the 
Self must be cultivated as against momentary 
propensions and blind desires. 

As a matter of fact, action is usually deter- 
mined by the phase of the personality upper- 
most at the moment. It is not chance or ca- 
price in the sense of an external force or fate, 
but some one of the many complex elements 
in the mind emerging for the time being, which 



174 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

takes the reins and drives us whither it wills. 
H. G. Wells says in one of his books: "It is 
just as though we were each of us not one per- 
son but many persons, who sometimes meet 
and shout all together, and then disperse and 
forget and plot against each other.' ' Actions 
of this kind are without objective other than 
that dictated by impulse, and are necessarily 
erratic and tangential. Naturally the outcome 
is but partially effective and usually falls far 
short of the mark intended. 

In a sense this uncertainty in the utilization 
of the Will is providential, for the reason that 
man in his present undeveloped state is unable 
to use so dynamic a power in a consistently con- 
structive manner. The number of requests a 
practising Psychologist receives, for instance, 
of knowledge of how to "influence others' ' and 
make some one do what he does not want to do, 
is disheartening. Such a projection of will- 
power is of course perfectly possible and evi- 
dences of its use on the psychic plane are nu- 
merous and easily verifiable; but they are not 
the lines of action that it is wise to give in- 



WILL 175 

struction in even when one knows something of 
the procedure, because of the very real danger 
in the psychic use of the Will, both to the op- 
erator and to his subject. 

It is well, therefore, as I have just intimated, 
that the impelling force of the Will does not al- 
ways secure its end; but I assume that my 
readers are interested, as I am, in a purely 
constructive development of the Will, and to- 
ward this end I can give many assurances of 
an increased personal power and efficiency by 
the eradication of internal dissension and the 
assertion of proper authority over the emo- 
tions. 

A man is internally free only when the ends 
he pursues have his whole-hearted approval; 
but most of us start out to do things without 
much thought as to whether the accomplish- 
ment of those particular aims are what we most 
desire or not. If one really desires wealth, for 
instance, it can be acquired by sufficient concen- 
tration upon it ; but to do this successfully re- 
quires sacrifice of many other occupations and 
interests, the loss of which may never be com- 



176 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

pensated for by the satisfaction of the desire 
to be rich. Thus a certain amount of delibera- 
tion should be one's habit before attempting 
to project one's force in any given direction. 
Much waste is occasioned by following false 
leads, leads that do not draw forth one's full 
quota of strength because they do not repre- 
sent one's full desire. 

We all know that the shortest distance be- 
tween any two points is a straight line, and we 
should learn to utilize Will in this way, that 
is, by being so certain of our direction that 
there is no wavering. When once chosen, a 
plan should be adhered to without the slightest 
doubt or deviation, unless indeed all the orig- 
inal factors upon which one's decision was made 
should be changed. Otherwise there will be 
numerous conflicting desires which if they do 
not exactly oppose the original desire will prob- 
ably succeed in negating its final consummation 
by reason of the variance implied. 

A man thinks he wishes to change his busi- 
ness, for example, but feels that he is obliged 
to continue in it by force of circumstances. He 



WILL 177 

does not realize that the phrase "by force of 
circumstances ' ' implies another Will in him- 
self than the one which would lead him to give 
up or change his business. His basic desire is 
to be engaged in some lucrative occupation, 
something that will earn his living, enable him 
to care for his family, etc.; but the conflict arises 
when the form of this occupation is to be de- 
termined. If he remains where he is, it is 
because he prefers it to the exertion of his 
Will that will be required to create new cir- 
cumstances for himself; it is this preference 
which makes him continue with that which he 
declares he is not willing to continue. 

In order to work upon a straight line in a 
situation like this, it is first Well to deliberate 
upon the fundamental and general purpose — 
the desire to be active and successful. To be 
busy and even moderately successful is worth a 
great deal, so much, in fact, that the contempla- 
tion of it should remove for the most part the - 
minor oppositions within one's self which tend 
to create friction. There is a still further con- 
structive attitude^ however, which would seek 



178 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

to harmonize both the original desire and the 
lesser one concerning the form which that de- 
sire should take. Few men are successful in 
any line of endeavour that does not command 
their spontaneous interest — in other words, 
one should aim to unite his liking for certain 
forms of activity with his need for a good liv- 
ing. 

This is only one instance of many which will 
suggest themselves to the mind of the thought- 
ful reader, as to the manner in which he should 
handle his own desires. It should be his creed 
to believe in them, to regard them as the only 
sure guide posts to success; and where cir- 
cumstances force a division of his interests, he 
should make himself like even that, until he is 
able to blend the opposing elements. 

It is in order here to call attention to the fact 
that dislike in any form is a negative state of 
mind, although it often appears to be the con- 
trary. It is negative because it represents a 
i ' split' ' in one's self. We do not bother to dis- 
like the things that do not concern us — we are 
merely indifferent to them — and if we enter- 



WILL 179 

tain a feeling of opposition, it indicates two con- 
flicting wishes within one 's self which have not 
been properly co-ordinated. Further, nothing 
betrays the presence of an unconscious trend 
in the opposite direction so much as a marked 
strenuousness of conscious effort to overcome 
or avoid it. The woman for instance, who is 
frequent in her protestations that her husband 
loves her is but thus expressing her unconscious 
fear that he does not. "Qui s' excuse s' accuse." 
"Where Intellect and Emotion are properly 
balanced, Will has the best possible opportu- 
nity for free expression. We all know the diffi- 
culty of exercising the Will against the motive 
power that is supplied by Desire. Even in the 
simple matter ^)f going for a walk one may find 
it very fatiguing to insist on the necessary mus- 
cular activity, whereas when the attention is 
distracted by means of pleasant company, the 
effort or feeling of resistance is quite removed. 
So, would we have our behaviour harmonious 
and forceful, we must utilize the impelling 
power of Emotion where we can; but at the 
same time we must learn to draw very clearly 



180 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

that line of demarcation where Feeling assumes 
the dominant role, subjugating the Will into a 
pitiful insignificance. 

Perhaps in no place is this frequent occur- 
rence more noticeable than in the dominance of 
physical sensations. The common tendency to 
pet and pamper various bodily symptoms is but 
an evidence of the ascendancy of Feeling over 
Will. Whereas one person will be prostrated 
by a pain, another with the same annoyance 
will preserve his poise and mastery, thus short- 
ening by many minutes or years, as the case 
may be, the disturbing experience. The ex- 
treme susceptibility of many patients to various 
meteorological conditions, changes in tempera- 
ture, clothing, surroundings, food, and sleep, 
but indicate how dormant is the Will and how 
exalted is Sensation. 

The tendency to self-indulgence does not 
confine itself only to physical habits, but 
spreads through the entire emotional and 
psychic life. It is a marvellous endowment to 
be able to feel, to be so sensitized as to register 
all grades and forms of sensation; but nothing 



WILL 181 

is more weakening or injurious than to allow 
this faculty complete sway without holding the 
Will in its position of authority, where it may 
temper and control as it can and should. 

With many years' experience as a Psycho- 
therapist as the basis of my opinion, I find no 
human attribute in greater need of develop- 
ment than that of the Will. A large number 
of definite physical diseases can be entirely 
overcome by a proper re-education of the sub- 
conscious Will; and even those that are more 
complicated psychologically, still require the 
discipline that leads to self-mastery, especially 
the mastery of the feelings. 

There are those of course, whose insistence 
on the use of their Will is excessive and who 
suffer accordingly a dearth of ease, spontane- 
ity, and natural feeling. There is such a thing 
as trying too hard and as a habit it becomes 
detrimental in that it creates tension and de- 
velops a "hot box" somewhere in the system, 
either physically or mentally. 

Many disease reactions arise out of this state 
of mind and many are the disappointments 



182 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

also that await those who do not know the bal- 
ancing law of non-resistance. Where to draw 
the line between an unswerving determinism 
and an easy adaptable non-resistance that has 
in it somewhat of the quality of unconcern — 
this is a problem that cannot be solved by 
one for another. By experience, however, one 
eventually learns the joy of effortless activity. 

"How to develop the Will" is one of those 
catch phrases of modern days so well illustra- 
tive of our desire to "get on" and extract the 
juice of life in the quickest way possible with- 
out much question as to whether we are really 
satisfying our hunger. The charlatan, or even 
the sincere but poorly informed psychologist, 
does not require unusual enterprise to attract 
public attention to his wares, if he but utter 
the magic phrase "how to develop the Will." 

The extensive but ill-assorted modern litera- 
ture on the subject of the Will centres almost 
wholly about this phrase, and while some of it 
is rich in suggestion and not infrequently con- 
tains evidences of genuine effort to be helpful, 
it is as a rule so lacking in any understanding 



WILL 183 

of the true nature of the subject as to be prac- 
tically useless. It is like trying to run a motor- 
car without any knowledge of the engine or its 
construction, so that the first obstacle met with 
on the road is more than apt to cause a break- 
down. 

Having examined somewhat of the principle 
and origin of Will power, we know that any 
efforts to develop it with success must be based 
on a knowledge of its complexities and its rela- 
tion to the whole mind of which it is so integral 
a part. 

To bring forth any act of the Will in its com- 
pletion, there are, as I conceive it, three steps 
which are quite readily distinguishable. 

a. Concept 

b. Intention 

c. Execution. 

The first of these, "Concept," is really a 
creation of the Imagination, a forming in the 
mind of an Idea; a recognition of Concept, or 
Ideation, is the first step in any act of the Will. 

The second, "Intention" is an expression of 
Desire. It supplies motive-power for the men- 



184 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

tal image, thus vitalizing the Concept to the 
point of definite form — the second step in any 
act of the Will. 

The third, "Execution," represents that crisp 
finishing quality which brings things forth from 
the inner world into outer manifestation, and 
is the consummation of any act of the Will. 

These three elements must be properly com- 
bined and related for Will to be effective. We 
can see about us at any time and in the acts of 
most people, evidences of some one of these 
phases separated from its proper sequence — 
the result being equivalent to a dog trying to 
walk on three legs when he was meant to use 
four. 

Let us take the phase of Concept alone. 
Many people are teeming with ideas and men- 
tal images, producing more concepts than they 
know what to do with. The result is a mass of 
undigested material floating around vaguely in 
their minds, their creators quite unable to 
formulate anything clearly enough to bring 
either intention or execution to bear upon it. 
Inventors, notably prolific in their creation of 



WILL 185 

ideas, are equally notable for their impractical- 
ity — their inability to " bring down to earth" 
the concepts which crowd their brains. There 
are others besides "inventors' ' too, who fall 
within this class ! Dreamers we call them and 
we may love them, but how we do wish that 
they might bring their thinking forth into the 
objective world, rather than waste so much of 
it in the realm of fancy. 

There are also those who are for all practical 
purposes devoid of ideas, who lack the imag- 
ing, apprehending faculty to such an extent 
that they are without any premise from which 
to make a move. They cannot intend any- 
thing, because of the vagueness and generally 
nebulous quality of all their thinking. With 
either too many or too few "ideas," one is 
liable to failure. 

Probably the most frequent of all is the type 
of person who is full of intentions, whose con- 
cepts are fairly clear and who "means" to 
utilize them all, but who yet lacks the Will to 
execute any of his various notions. "We all 
know the name of the place to which this road 



186 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

leads. Nothing is more self -deluding than to 
carry about a lot of perfectly good intentions 
without materializing them. He who gives a 
promise lightly without intention or thought 
of the labour entailed to consummate it, is the 
cause not only of many unhappy hours to his 
family and friends, but injures himself past 
redemption through falling into a habit of sheer 
futility. The discrepancy between Intention 
and Execution marks man's greatest weakness 
and his behaviour is more hampered by this 
limitation of mental abortiveness than by any 
other thing. 

Intentions that bear fruit mark the person 
possessed of executive ability and are charac- 
teristic of all those who occupy high places. If 
one made a habit of finishing all the things that 
one begins, even in the details, it would not be 
long before the power of bringing to a success- 
ful close any project, on however large a scale, 
would be not only possible but habitual. 

A type of which we see much in these days 
however, is one in which ' ' Execution ' ' is de- 
veloped to a high degree without a correspond- 



WILL 187 

ing balance in the other two phases of the Will 
— it becomes a mere case of "doing" without 
respect to quality or purpose. Such a one is 
always "executing" something, his ideas are 
literally "done to death" by his overwhelming 
desire to be active, to bring to pass, willy nilly. 
He hurries from place to place, he is for ever 
busy and he frequently does get things done; 
but what it is that he is getting done never 
troubles him. He lacks plan and purpose, has 
no clear conception or even intentions ; or pos- 
sibly has such a multiplicity of both that he 
never has time to follow them out and thus 
utilize to some advantage his capacity for exe- 
cution. We speak of a musical person as pos- 
sessing good execution when he has facility 
without the soul or spirit of the composition he 
should be endeavouring to interpret. Mere ac- 
tivity is the outermost rim of the circle repre- 
sented by Will, a hollow hoop without the cen- 
tralizing and spiritual quality which constitutes 
its very essence. 

We are, of course, using our Wills every day 
and all the time, but between the uncertainty 



188 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

with which we use them and the superficiality 
that prevails, it is small wonder that we so sel- 
dom attain our true ends. To sum up the ethi- 
cal as well as the practical import of a study 
of Will, I should first say that we need above 
all to cultivate an affirmative attitude; secondly 
that we should search much more deeply for our 
springs of action than we have been accustomed 
to. 

Emerson's magnificent statement "I am, 
therefore, I can" should help us in the first. 
To live with such a maxim in the foreground of 
one's consciousness, is to develop those settled 
principles and consistent policies which alone 
lead to lasting achievement. The Opportunist 
is one without fixed purpose or reasoned action, 
he usually " tries to do his best" under the cir- 
cumstances, but fails because his action is all 
pendent upon externalities. He takes "circum- 
stances" as his premise rather than the sure 
granite of his own Will. Determination is the 
equivalent of Causation in the physical world. 
Man is his own unfailing source — if he but knew 
it. 



WILL 189 

The second important element to master in 
the Will is the power of the Unconscious. Here 
we have a host of impulses, most of them 
primal, crude, unshaped, and powerful. De- 
sire, which is behind all Will, represents a whole 
strata of instinctive feelings which are in them- 
selves a force so great as to prove irresistible, 
more often than not. These tendencies are 
Will in its most fundamental aspect, Will in- 
spired by the great natural motive-power of 
Feeling. Our whole progress hangs upon the 
guidance through the Intellect of unconscious 
Will — it does not imply the suppression of Emo- 
tion, but the proper placing of it in relation to 
purpose and Intention. 

It is necessary also to place a new value on 
Desire. Desire in its true sense is frequently 
very dormant, latent, lost in the depths of the 
subconsciousness, and the cultivation of it is a 
department of human activity by itself. Every 
one who finds himself weak on this score, in- 
clined to indifference or unconcern, would do 
well to listen as with his ear to the ground, for 
those under-currents of feeling in himself, those 



190 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

cravings which represent the purpose and di- 
rection of his being. One of our great modern 
publicists, David Jayne Hill, says — ' ' The great 
problem of society is to release the free activity 
of human faculties." This is indeed the prob- 
lem of society and also the problem of the in- 
dividual. If our schools were what they should 
be, instructors in the great problems of the 
mental and moral life, the first and last lessons 
would be concerned with the development and 
control of the human "Will. 



CHAPTER V 
EMOTION 

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FEELING 

Emotion, the mainspring of all Behaviour and 
the human expression of Feeling or responsive- 
ness to life, is the first and most primitive phase 
of cognition or self -consciousness, the most defi- 
nitely recognizable of all the psychic states. 
Because primitive it is powerful — that is, primi- 
tive in the sense of being essential and original, 
not superadded, complex, or developed, as is 
the Intellect. Instincts, man's simplest feel- 
ings, represent his very first reactions to his 
environment, and as Emotion implies a con- 
scious recognition of this feeling-state it may be 
said to mark the beginnings of self -conscious- 
ness. 

Both in development of the race and of the 
individual, Feeling always precedes Thought. 
In animals we call it Instinct. In his early 

191 



192 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

stages of development, Instinct prevails in man 
also, even as it does in the child, and it is only 
with the growth of the Intellect that we have 
what may be properly called Emotion. 

Instincts, belonging as they do to the more 
primitive phases of existence, have come to be 
associated more especially with physiological 
needs and processes. Emotions are essentially 
psychological in their nature, because they ap- 
pear only in those stages of development where 
an unfolding Intellect has made it possible to 
apprehend or be aware of our inherited instinc- 
tive forces and reactions. We do not, therefore, 
say of animals that they have Emotions, al- 
though we know that they do possess feelings. 
Carrying this distinction further, all man's un- 
conscious feelings would be Instincts and all his 
conscious feelings Emotions; but as it is im- 
possible for obvious reasons to make such a di- 
vision exact, I shall use the terms in a somewhat 
looser sense, with reference to their various 
inter-relations. 

The baby begins by feeling his way through 
life. In Feeling he evinces his first power of 



EMOTION 193 

response to his environment. He feels not only 
physically, but psychically as well, and his re- 
action to his surroundings is for a long time 
wholly dependent upon his power to thus ap- 
prehend the external world. With the develop- 
ment of the Intellect the feeling phase of con- 
sciousness subsides to some extent, though still 
active in the subconsciousness; and though 
neither the child nor primitive man is aware of 
the function of feeling, he is completely dom- 
inated by it until such time as the Intellect may, 
after a long and uncertain battle, gain its as- 
cendancy. 

The child or the immature man is therefore 
apt to be "impulsive," that is, he responds 
quickly and unconsciously to his own various 
psychic states and translates them into action 
without forethought or question — a necessary 
mode o% development in the earlier stages and 
one not to be too quickly supplanted by more 
intellectual methods at any time. 

Yet civilization represents our effort as a 
whole to become aware of our various Feelings 
and learn to master them. Nature's blind 



194 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

forces, always silently and potently at work, are 
constantly clashing with the growing force of 
Intellect. The whole of man's progress is 
marked by the development of the seeds of self- 
consciousness, until by means of the Will, as we 
have seen, he rises to kingship in a realm where 
he has so long been the mere puppet of a blind 
fate. This combat is fundamental, never-end- 
ing, and frequently discouraging. The odds 
are great against us in the elemental domain of 
the Emotions, though not too great, as any sane 
and thoughtful person knows. 

As though fearing our lack of control, we in- 
stinctively shrink from Feeling, per se,. prob- 
ably because it implies an agitation. The orig- 
inal meaning of the word Emotion was commo- 
tion, and our appreciation of this its real sig- 
nificance, leads us to seek refuge very often in 
the calmer states where Intellect alone prevails. 
Also, with the development of the refinements 
and discriminations of civilization, many of our 
original feelings, especially the instincts, be- 
come unseemly, too animal-like, to pass the 



EMOTION 195 

approval of our higher natures and we thus 
wish to repress them. 

Granting all this, it must be admitted for the 
proper contrast and balance, that we have also 
lost much, since this original and primitive form 
of response to life has become so overlaid with 
intellectual conceptions. Whether it be through 
fear of a force not yet understood and con- 
quered, or whether to the emasculating influ- 
ence of purely intellectual refinements, the fact 
remains that the essential power and value of 
Feeling has been reduced to a minimum that 
is distinctly detrimental to the harmony and 
strength of life as a whole. 

All education tends to deprecate any display 
of Emotion; we have even reached the point 
where to conceal it entirely is considered as a 
mark of the highest culture. This alone im- 
plies our false estimate of its value and leads 
to its further diminution or extinction; and in 
the meantime we are left at the mercy of a 
force which knows no mercy — we have merely 
repressed and checked — we have not mastered, 



196 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

The path leading toward the ultimate suprem- 
acy of the Intellect and Will is, of course, as I 
have already pointed out, both an important 
and necessary one, for the reason that conscious 
Intellect is the only qualifying agent for Emo- 
tion, and affords the guiding channel for a 
power otherwise unrestrained and dangerous 
in its intensity. But we have gone so far in the 
worship of the controlling and inhibiting facul- 
ties, as to lose our perspective and essential 
hold on some of the more vital things, without 
really gaining the sovereignty we are aiming 
for. We have succeeded only in suppressing 
or distorting practically all of our natural im- 
pulses. Scarcely one of them flows forth with- 
out the restraining influence of social conven- 
tion, public opinion, personal advantage, or 
some other modifying agent, until we have com- 
pletely deflected at its very source the main- 
spring and impulse of all human behaviour. 
We have seen how the infant leads a subjective 
and natural existence, but we have failed to 
notice that in the subsequent development of 
the conscious controlling faculties, the original 



EMOTION 197 

foundation has been much tampered with and 
in many instances wholly disorganized. 

We forget the tremendous potentiality that 
lies concealed in our capacity to Feel. All 
through life it affords a far wider scope and a 
deeper revelation than the Intellect. It im- 
plies, indeed, nothing less than the whole realm 
of the Unconscious with all the delicate appre- 
hensions of its Intuition. 

Though less discriminating Feeling is far 
more subtle and penetrating because of its very 
subjectivity; and because it is capable of tak- 
ing us into the deeps of experience and touch- 
ing the divine fires, we recoil in trepidation, 
afraid, perhaps, to approach those elements of 
unalloyed power. 

What is enthusiasm, for instance, but an in- 
tense capacity to feel, and what is there to be 
found of strength in the cold passionless sur- 
vey of life afforded by the Intellect, unless it is 
vitalized by the Emotions? How far can In- 
tellect carry one in an appreciation of nature, 
beauty, music, and all the warm human rela- 
tionships such as love, reverence, and sympa- 



198 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

thy? These are the things we feel, and while 
the explanations afforded by the Intellect are 
both useful and interesting, how paltry and in- 
significant they appear by the side of the actual 
experience and realization. 

It is like standing outside of a beautiful 
palace, vainly trying to describe by means of 
words the wonderful possessions it contains — 
one must enter and see and feel for himself, 
in order to know or appreciate its contents. 
And so it is with life, we must first ex- 
perience or feel, afterward we can take the 
detached view afforded by the Intellect and 
draw what conclusions Eeason dictates. 

The problem then, manifestly, is to find the 
balance between Emotional Power on the one 
side and Will Power and Intellect on the other. 
In the first case, we have the whole gamut of 
human feeling from its most savage primitive 
instincts up to its highest aspirations and sym- 
pathies. 

The greater the power, the greater the haz- 
ard in the possession of it. Man's highest ca- 
pacity lies in his sensitiveness to Feeling, but 



EMOTION 199 

in it also is enfolded his bitterest enemy and his 
greatest liability to error. Fortunately in the 
Will he has the right commanding and re- 
straining influence, which can check, co-ordi- 
nate, and encourage wherever required for his 
best interests. It must of course be properly 
aligned with the Intellect and stand in the fore- 
front as would a general leading an army, if 
the eternal combat is to be solved. 

In order to throw some light upon this baf- 
fling problem of the control of the Emotions, 
and to enable earnest students of Psychology 
to so determine their own behaviour that it 
shall always be constructive, a close study of 
the action and reaction of the many and com- 
plex human impulses is most necessary. 

In the first place, it is possible to make two 
general classifications, which though very 
broad in their nature, assist materially in re- 
ducing to its elements this appallingly compli- 
cated task. They are the simple ones that we 
have already observed in some of the previous 
studies — i.e., that of negative and positive. 
With a little research and experience it is pos- 



200 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF*BEHAVIOUR 

sible to place all Emotions clearly in one or the 
other of these divisions. 

Under Negative Emotions I have classed all 
those attributes requiring Control or the inter- 
ference of the Will; and under Positive Emo- 
tions, are all such as need to be encouraged 
or developed to make for a strong and rounded 
character. 

It might be thought at first glance that this 
classification would be the old familiar one of 
Vice and Virtue, but such is not the case, 
especially if one is to regard human motives, 
as one should, from a purely dispassionate and 
un-moral point of view. Most works on ethical 
Psychology make the error of cataloging certain 
of our traits and tendencies as "good," and the 
others as "bad." In truth there is no such dis- 
tinction whatever, as all the discord and pain 
and so-called evil in life rises solely out of 
a lack of proportion and proper relativity. 
There is no Emotion which in its essential na- 
ture can be called bad; but all of them, even 
the best, may be so misplaced or ill-used as to 



EMOTION 201 

become, in effect, the worst. Of the Negative 
Emotions I mention four primary ones — 

Fear 

Anger 

Grief 

Self-love 

The first of these, Fear, has the widest 
ramifications and is the most destructive of 
them all. The usual conception of Fear is one 
associating it exclusively with physical cow- 
ardice, but it requires only a moment's thought 
to perceive the fallacy of this view, for Fear has 
many forms and in one way or another is so 
prevalent as to honeycomb the whole fabric of 
the emotional life. 

In its positive and constructive form Fear 
is simply caution or forethought, a defensive 
conservative instinct and an attitude necessary 
as a protection against the uncertainties of life ; 
but the more common and negative aspect of it 
is that of " worry.' ? Fore-thought becomes 
fear-thought when it does not build or con- 
struct a way out of the difficulty — a mere 
worry, which consists in treading ceaselessly 



202 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

in a circle, arriving nowhere. It expresses 
nothing but futility and is the outcome of ha- 
bitually regarding life and all its forces as an 
enemy rather than a friend. Such a state of 
mind is Fear in its very essence and implies in 
oneself a lack of confidence or power to over- 
come. 

That many diseases and physical breakdowns 
are due directly to the worry habit is now a mat- 
ter of common knowledge; though the medical 
man with his material remedies has no way of 
dealing with the mental cause of his patient's 
weakened resistance. He may suggest a sea 
voyage or change of scene in the hope that 
this re-distribution of attention may divert the 
mind of the patient from its destructive chan- 
nels. In some cases such is sufficient to effect 
a cure — more often, however, it is necessary to 
directly attack the Fear or worry itself in order 
to remove the depressing symptoms, this being 
the essential task of the Psycho-therapist. 

Many experiments have been made of late 
years and articles written to prove the pres- 
ence of toxic elements in the blood as the im- 



EMOTION 203 

mediate result of the fear-state; and the close 
relation between morbid mental states and the 
secreting glandular action of the body has also 
been demonstrated. There is in these facts 
alone, one would think, a sufficient deterring in- 
fluence to restrain the constant tendency to in- 
dulge in fears and doubts ; but their forms are 
insidious and numerous and their hold so 
strong as to paralyze the Will and becloud the 
Intellect of the average sufferer. 

Among the most prevalent specific forms of 
the anxiety-habit is that of the fear of disease 
in itself, many illnesses being the direct out- 
come of it especially when it is strong enough 
to become an obsession or fixed idea. Often a 
particular disease, or even an accident, will be 
unconsciously selected as the bugbear to dis- 
turb the peace of one's mental household. 
Frequently the sufferer from a phobia of this 
kind has no knowledge of whence came his 
thoughts on the subject. Under proper analy- 
sis they usually can be uncovered and the bring- 
ing of them into daylight may be sufficient to 
release the " common sense' ' that has been in- 



204 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

hibited thereby. Our part as students of Be- 
haviour is to recognize these various mental 
states as pathological and to seek so far as we 
personally are concerned to avoid the entrance 
or fixation in our minds of any concepts based 
on Fear. 

Next to a fear of disease, in its frequency and 
destructiveness, comes a fear of failure, a feel- 
ing directly related to the struggle for exist- 
ence, especially the economic struggle and the 
desire to "get on" to which I have referred 
before. Much of this Fear is artificial because 
based on false standards. It is an expression 
of that overwhelming desire to "keep up ap- 
pearances.' ' It leads to show and pretence, in 
a vain effort to bolster up a nature lacking in 
self-confidence and independence. 

Yet it is necessary to admit that this anxiety 
also has its positive side and being the out- 
growth as it very often is of admirable ambi- 
tion pitted against the complexities of modern 
civilization, we must have more patience and 
sympathy with it than with many of the other 
negative mental states. The main business of 



EMOTION 205 

life is to secure by one's own efforts that which 
is necessary to live and grow by, and while this 
often seems a most difficult thing to do, I firmly 
believe that if less attention were bestowed 
upon various external obstacles, such as the 
economic conditions of the times, etc., and 
more upon the internal functions of Will and 
Intellect, there would turn out to be enough for 
everybody, with no very good basis for this 
prevalent anxiety. 

Nature is lavish, only man is niggardly, and 
with the enlargement of his consciousness to 
the inclusion of the higher elements of mind 
and soul, he will no longer feel the pinch and 
cramp of conditions — he will instead declare 
his freedom and know that there is no such 
thing as failure except to those who believe in 
it. It is only a relative term anyway, and does 
not exist for those whose faith in themselves 
remains unimpaired. 

Fear of opinion is another negative state that 
absolutely determines the lives of most people. 
I have already spoken of how few know the na- 
ture of their true desires, there are equally few 



206 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

who know and live by their own opinions. So 
subtle and so strong is the pressure of subcon- 
scious thought-currents that the majority do not 
realize that most of their ideas have been made 
for them by others and accepted at secondhand. 
I should say too that there is quite as much 
Fear of holding to one's own opinion as there 
is of incurring the disfavour of others. How 
often we are untrue to the deeper flashes of our 
own consciousness is indicated by the fact that 
at some later period, when perhaps a greater or 
better known mind gives voice to our smothered 
feelings, do we see that we were afraid to recog- 
nize our own mental offspring. "No one's else 
opinion can be as good as mine — for me" should 
be the creed of every man. And as for the opin- 
ions of others, why exalt them so? Beyond a 
reasonable receptivity and desire to profit by 
the findings of others we should have no room 
for their opinions as such. As for collective 
opinion, that known as convention, there are 
times when it is fitting that one should bend to 
it for the sake of peace or the good of the whole, 
but to live by it is to be hampered in the soul. 



EMOTION 207 

It is only he who is fearless in both thought 
and action who attains to any real happiness 
or strength. Many are the cowards who hav- 
ing the intelligence to see what is just and 
right, yet lack the courage to uphold their 
views and by silence give consent to that which 
in their hearts they disapprove. 

As to the causes of Fear there are many; 
inherited race-thoughts start us off with many 
deeply imbedded superstitions and destructive 
ideas in our subconsciousness of which we are 
never aware until they break forth at some un- 
expected moment. There are fears galore 
based upon our own past painful experiences 
and those of our ancestors: and even more 
that have no "facts" for their basis at 
all; but probably the most prolific source 
of all is that arising in early childhood, when 
the exceedingly harmful methods employed 
by most parents to gain the obedience of 
their offspring leads them unwittingly into 
marking for life the mind of a sensitive child 
with some fear that would otherwise be quite 
alien to his nature. 



208 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

From the very beginning the child has a 
price placed upon his veracity, his kindliness, 
his sociability, his natural curiosity — in short, 
upon nearly all of his most useful instincts. 
The average parent does not hesitate to stoop 
to the most primitive and barbarous methods 
and customs in order to impress his authority 
upon his child. He threatens him with the 
vengeance of everything from the dog and the 
policeman up to his Creator. Thus the child's 
natural instinct of Fear, which might other- 
wise remain dormant until it was needed in self- 
protection, is fed on the vagaries and stupidities 
of his elders until it outweighs every other feel- 
ing in his little brain. 

Having made a special study of the origin of 
the innumerable Fears with which the average 
adult is burdened, I have come to the conclu- 
sion that we are, in the care of our children, 
still in the dark ages of superstition — for we 
almost universally sentence these free young 
lives to an inescapable fate, by instilling into 
them in their tender years all our own weak- 
nesses, and then adding thereunto some spe- 



EMOTION 209 

cially devised ones, as it were, to fit the inno- 
cence of childhood. 

An excellent exercise for any student of Be- 
haviour is to have a quiet seance with himself 
in which to make an honest list of all his Fears 
— for to entertain even one means not only a 
diminution of one's strength and resistance, 
but also a loss of opportunity. Let him real- 
ize that all Fear is founded primarily on a 
sense of inferiority and that if he would be rid 
of the misery of anxiety, or a sense of defeat, he 
must do so by changing the pivot or point 
of balance between his own power and the 
power with which he endows mere circumstance. 

It means the use of the "Will of course ; and a 
rousing of the deep forces of the Self. Once 
this positive state is thoroughly established, 
which it may be in any case by earnest prac- 
tice, there is no place left for the fear-feeling 
to assert itself — even the habit of "apprehen- 
siveness" and the fear of Fear may be thus 
overcome. The Imagination is of course pro- 
ductive of all sorts of disturbing images and 
gives rise to forebodings based either on experi- 



210 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

ence or on prospective situations which it builds 
up out of sheer contrariness and lack of con- 
trol; but he who claims any mastery of his 
Emotions becomes likewise a master of his Im- 
agination and bids it build only those images 
which in the end will enable him to cast out all 
Fear. 

Next to Fear, Anger properly takes its 
place as the greatest influence on human be- 
haviour. All the centuries of civilization have 
not been able to eradicate or even ameliorate 
to any extent this expression of the instinct to 
fight; which in most of its manifestations in 
civilized society would give better grounds than 
anything else for a belief in human depravity 
or "original sin." Yet, Anger is one of those 
primitive feelings designed to help us main- 
tain our individuality and establish our place 
in life, and when expressed as "righteous in- 
dignation' ' there is nothing finer. It is mani- 
festly a part of what is called the cruelty of 
nature, wherein every unit, every atom has 
some part to play and holds its own only by 
reason of friction and resistance. 



EMOTION 211 

We know the prevalence of this law in the 
animal and plant world; and how out of the 
eternal conflict there is always a "survival of 
the fittest.' ' This action and reaction of each 
unit one against the other when manifested in 
the life of man, whose most primal instinct of 
all is self -protection, expresses itself naturally 
as combativeness or Anger. It is the offensive 
form of the conservative instinct, and the en- 
tire absence of it means either a flatness or a 
yielding quality in the make-up which is sure to 
be disastrous. There are many natures too 
good or too soft and sympathetic to be pos- 
sessed of enough strength or aggression to 
bring these virtues into their rightful fruition. 
The person who is incapable of feeling indigna- 
tion or Anger is incapable of meeting life with 
sufficient self-assertion to ever master its op- 
positions and its obstacles. 

With the development of the race there has 
come gradually the development of the social 
instinct with its larger aspects of unselfishness 
and altruism, until today our ideals are those 
of community life and co-operation. Every 



212 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

life is now more or less protected by a common 
aim or sentiment, the instinct of " humanity,' y 
so that Anger in its cruder forms is confined 
mostly to the savage races. In tracing this 
development we can see how an instinct 
which is essentially protective in its nature, 
may become detrimental, both to its posses- 
sor and its object, if it be entertained to any 
extent. 

Yet the power to resent an imposition and to 
protect one's own against assault, is necessary 
— we have not yet reached the point where any 
one individual is accorded his "rights" unless 
he evinces an ability to secure them on his own 
behalf. 

Having thus drawn attention to the positive 
phases of Anger, I wish to dwell a little upon 
the weakness of its negative side which shows 
forth in many ways, such as resentment, irri- 
tability, animosity, and hatred. It is my firm 
belief that there is no place for any of these 
emotions in a well-regulated life. 

As is the case with all the primitive instincts, 
Anger is the greatest possible drawback un- 



EMOTION 213 

less it is mastered and controlled. It always 
expresses an inner conflict of some kind and 
usually betrays a lack of poise and dignity, 
which does not speak well for the character of 
its possessor. There is the Anger which rises 
quickly and subsides almost as soon as it is 
born, which is really more of an escape valve 
than anything else, and for which its possessor 
is usually quickly forgiven; but even this dis- 
play of temper is not agreeable or constructive 
and exhibits a weakness or vulnerability. So 
strong may the emotion of Anger become as 
to drive its victim into acts of the greatest 
violence, for which he is obliged to spend a life- 
time of regret. Its presence shows strength of 
a kind, but also, because of the lack of control, 
a great weakness. 

There are those who contend that it is neces- 
sary to be able to hate, as an evidence of 
strength. This is a foolish fallacy; for while 
admitting the necessity of the potentiality, 
there is no necessity whatever for such a de- 
gree of aggression, even on the mental plane. 
Hatred is an element equalled in its destructive 



214 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

power by almost no other human feeling — if 
man is anywhere to demonstrate his supremacy 
over the animal world it must be at this point, 
for hatred is the result of the power of the In- 
tellect added to Anger. 

One may hate, in the sense of disapprove, 
many of the obnoxious or offensive elements of 
life with all propriety, although ignoring is a 
much more effective weapon. But of real 
hatred the evil is unto the hater much more 
than the hated — an overmastering emotion 
with nought but poison in it. 

Even the lesser forms of hatred such as quar- 
relsomeness, animosity and meanness are all 
a great wastage of human energy. They never 
by any chance do good and they are always 
certain to do harm. Where we see them active 
we may know without further examination 
that their possessor is low indeed in the scale 
of development spiritually. 

Among the lighter aspects of Anger, irri- 
tability is perhaps the most common and an- 
noying one. Those who habitually give vent to 
this Emotion are not only a great trial to their 



EMOTION 215 

companions but are really destructive agents 
in that they are the active centres of disturbed 
forces and thereby destroy much of the peace 
and harmony of those about them. Of course, 
there is the old excuse of bad digestion, etc., for 
those afflicted with this unfortunate habit, but 
if a close examination be made, it will usually 
be found that the habit preceded the gastric 
disturbance and nine times out of ten was the 
cause of it. 

Like every other peccadillo, irritability has 
its pathological side. Untold benefit has al- 
ready accrued from the work of Psycho-ther- 
apists and Psycho-analysts who have found in 
various repressions and mental mal-adjust- 
ments the hidden cause of an irritability that 
was as unaccountable to its possessor as to his 
friends. Always a search should be made for 
the "sore spot" in the mind — once found the 
Anger can be removed or properly harmonized 
with its constituent elements. 

But a bad disposition is very often only an 
expression of a self-indulgent nature, using 
this unconscious means to call attention to it- 



216 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

self. A habit of "grouchiness" is well-nigh 
inexcusable, betraying as it does a long har- 
boured resentment of some kind. The feeling 
of pleasantness as well as that of exasperation, 
can be encouraged no matter what we may 
have to contend with, and is in itself a partial 
cure for the annoying circumstances whatever 
they may be. 

As for bursts of temper, they are but external 
signs of some repressed and unassimilated 
force, usually where the creative life has been 
checked or hemmed in until it finds this de- 
structive mode of relieving the pressure. They 
can be " cured' ' just as any other disease can 
be. Many cases have been overcome by a sim- 
ple determination on the part of the victim to 
effect a change, but they also often require ex- 
pert analysis to uncover their true cause. All 
parents should be well enough trained in this 
mode of observation to find the reason of bad 
temper in their children — more often than not 
they may find it in themselves ! 

Resentment, a feeling of annoyance for the 
failure of people or conditions to come up to 



EMOTION 217 

our own standards, is a form of Anger. Here 
again I must counsel the non-resistant mental 
attitude, for lie who carries a resentment in his 
heart knows not the law of personal free- 
dom, he is binding himself by demanding that 
of another which he has not seen fit, or is not 
able, to give. The whole attitude is based on 
a false conception of our claims upon others; 
we really have no claims at all and in all per- 
sonal relations at least, should be content to 
accept that which is extended spontaneously, 
asking or expecting nothing more. When 
properly understood this spirit is perfectly 
compatible with a righteous self-assertion, 
which to be successful must be maintained with- 
out the slightest trace of Anger. 

Nursing a Grievance is still another form of 
Anger, often protracted into a subconscious 
resentment lasting over a long period of time. 
I thus know of one otherwise admirable woman 
who has for many years nourished and suf- 
fered from this destructive feeling all because 
her husband's sister has never seen fit to call 
upon her and welcome her as one of his fam- 



218 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

ily. Small or large as the cause may be, the 
emotion itself is strongly akin to revenge, only 
it is more negative being a combination of hurt 
pride with Anger. 

So many useless and unnecessary forms of 
Anger prevail where there is an admixture, 
more or less, of blind self-love, or perhaps a 
feeling of having been overridden. If one has 
been triumphed over by another Will it should 
be accepted gracefully with a quiet reservation 
to the effect that a new standard has been set 
for one's strength, a new reach required. In- 
stead of resenting the success of a more positive 
Will, or feeling "injured," one should seek to 
become equally as positive ; or if inclined to be 
"argumentative," learn to relax and not 
"care." Only thus can one remove the sting 
that comes from having been "hurt" — to be 
given to "feeling hurt" is a negative form of 
Anger and avails one nothing — a recognition of 
it should be a sufficient incentive to arouse the 
Will to a more constructive action. 

Selfishness, or self-love, is the primary root 
of all evil. It is, in its way, as negative as 



EMOTION 219 

Fear, refuting as it does all the outgoing and 
expanding elements that distinguish human be- 
ing as apart from animals. In spite of its 
appearance as a positive expression, we can 
easily perceive its utterly negative character 
when we realize how completely it is the denial 
of all that is progressive and constructive. It 
tends to destroy the whole fabric of human life 
by separating and tearing apart, exalting as 
it does oneself at the expense of others. It 
may show as avariciousness and soulless 
greed, or it may be only a carelessness of the 
comfort and happiness of others; but in all 
forms it is offensive because so completely ob- 
verse to all that is highest and best in life. 

The deep and almost unconquerable influence 
of self-love is due to its inherently protective 
and conserving nature. There are people, for 
instance, who are not selfish enough for their 
own welfare, who lose the best of life by their 
readiness to be imposed upon by other stronger 
natures. Yet even selfishness can scarcely be 
said to exist per se, it is more like a shadow 
which obscures the original principle underly- 



220 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

ing it — its basis being no less than that spirit- 
ual principle of the consciousness of Self, 
which we shall consider later, and without 
which we can do nothing. As all the emphasis 
is usually placed upon the obvious unpleasant- 
ness and disadvantage of selfishness, it is well 
to remember that it is not an unmixed evil. 

Selfishness may be defined as an undue at- 
tachment to one's own interest. I will pause 
to mention only a few of its many forms. Jeal- 
ousy is a common one, being an attempt to claim 
that which is of no value unless freely given — 
it belongs to the intense and passionate natures 
as a rule, but cannot coexist with a large un- 
selfish viewpoint. 

Vanity and conceit are evidences of petty 
selfishness — extremely small views of the Self, 
with a consequent exaggeration of the personal 
self. Thoughtlessness of others arises from 
self-absorption and a limited horizon. All of 
these conditions can be overcome by a reason- 
able amount of practice and a true knowledge 
of the meaning of the Self — provided there is 
sufficient desire to make the effort; but people 



EMOTION 221 

who persist in marring their lives with these 
and other outcroppings of the selfish spirit, 
must be left to work out their own salvation — i 
no one can do it for them. 

To pass from Selfishness to another more ob- 
viously negative state let us consider Grief. 
All Pain is the evidence of the absence of some- 
thing, and among our mlost acute pains is 
that sense of loss called Grief. Although al- 
most every one recognizes its destructiveness, 
it nevertheless ranks among the most uncon- 
trollable of the Emotions. There are few who 
have yet learned the lesson of conscious ad- 
justment, so that when affliction befalls them, 
of whatever nature, they are able to accept it 
calmly and without the shattering that seems 
so unavoidable to those stricken with sorrow. 
As a rule their behaviour displays the greatest 
weakness, all centred around their own especial 
deprivation. The mind refuses to work save in 
the reiterated contemplation of its loss, and all 
normal functions are reduced to their mini- 
mum. 

While the utter lack of a capacity for Grief 



222 THE PSYCHOLOGY OP BEHAVIOUR 

would of course signify a lack of sensitiveness 
or power to feel bordering on the unhuman, 
there is almost always a desire to indulge in 
these devastating Emotions to the full. As we 
are always being beset by difficulties, it is one 
of those seemingly irresistible tendencies which 
it is most important to understand and control. 

Even great personal losses as by death can 
be met with fortitude based upon a faith in 
the eternal goodness of all things. Such a 
view requires a detachment from a purely per- 
sonal attitude, it is true, and a considerable 
amount of poise ; but it brings its own reward. 
It is well to recognize in this connection that 
Grief in all its phases is based on a generic 
instability, is essentially selfish in its nature, 
and has no aspect of constructiveness in it. 

Much Grief in the form of regret is wasted 
over various small losses, especially of purely 
material things. Perhaps it is small wonder 
that such is the case when it is a fact that most 
people gauge their happiness by the standard of 
whether they possess much or little. The dis- 
possession of a trinket will sometimes occa- 



EMOTION 223 

sion as much expenditure of feeling and force 
as would be required to construct an engine or 
write a book. 

Those who have not yet risen above the 
bondage of mere things and of trivialities of 
all sorts are linked to a continual series of dis- 
appointments and regrets. The acquisition of 
things may be a pleasant pursuit and a means 
of producing happiness — popularity and good 
fortune are always to be desired — but when 
these become ends in themselves, the propor- 
tion is lost and some form of pain is inevitable 
— most of it unnecessary and wasted. 

Closely allied to Grief is Despondency, or a 
mental depression of some duration and inten- 
sity. It is a common habit to those of much 
susceptibility, especially where the Imagina- 
tion is well developed and the Will compara- 
tively weak. In psychic impressionable natures 
it often takes the form of ' ' apprehensiveness, f ' 
a nameless fear or foreboding which cannot be 
readily thrown off. It has its origin in the 
subconscious life and is often most tenacious, 
even where the intentions are good. Being a 



224 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

sticky, clammy state of mind, however, some- 
what of the nature of a miasma, it cannot long 
flourish in a wholesome and positive mentality. 
It is really a pathological, emotional state due 
to a sickness of the soul, but it can be cast 
out like other dark-hued emotions with the cul- 
tivation of a healthy mental attitude. 

" Moodiness' ' is another form of a disturbed 
psychic life and is a dangerous indulgence when 
carried to any extreme, calling for an active 
control of the Will. All morbid mental states 
throw a veil around the personality that tends 
to smother its creator and depress its beholders. 
Perhaps the worst of despondency is that it so 
thoroughly envelops him who has once given 
way to it, as to shut out all healthier, brighter 
thoughts — all consciousness of light, truth, and 
freedom. The only successful mode of treat- 
ment is preventive in character, establishing 
opposite states of mind with such firmness that 
the victim of his own feelings can no longer fall 
into this abyss of misery. 

The primary Positive Emotions are — 



EMOTION 225 

Confidence 

Love 

Joy 

Expansiveness. 

All of these represent the higher aspects of 
the consciousness — those furthest removed from 
the distinctly animal stage. Confidence might 
be considered an exception in its physical sense 
of self-preservation, but dealt with as a mental 
or emotional quality it contains within it the 
essence of all human achievement, and is, 
therefore, the most necessary among the traits 
to be strengthened or cultivated. 

Self-confidence being closely allied to some 
of the lower and more disagreeable phases of 
the personality is often mistaken for them, be- 
ing confused with mere egoism or con r *\ The 
latter represent a fondness for the good opin- 
ion of others which is not characteristic of true 
self-confidence — a desire for approbation and 
attention being the direct outcome of a lack of 
egotism or right understanding of the dignity 
and power of the Self. An undue love of ap- 



226 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

probation is a fundamental weakness tending 
to undermine all the other virtues, none of 
which can bloom without the nourishing in- 
fluence of self-knowledge and self-belief. Any- 
mental structure reared without this primary 
element lacks the strength and calibre to make 
it stand. 

It is amazing how in the training and de- 
velopment of children we manage to deprive 
them of this one great force with which they 
might attack life successfully. Ambition is 
curbed and the desire to excel tapped at its 
very root by the inculcation of self -distrust 
and a consciousness of weakness or inability. 
We seem to be afraid to give praise even when 
praise is due. 

Little do we realize the constructive force of 
discriminating approval, even when the act 
upon which it is bestowed is not all that we 
could desire. The wise mother will, for ex- 
ample, commend her child for an attempt to 
write or sew, even though the effort has been 
most clumsy and the result poor. All things 
are comparative in their value and when every 



EMOTION 227 

honest effort is rightly appreciated the results 
are proportionately great. Thus are laid the 
seeds of self-confidence which cannot be broken 
down by the hard knocks and disappointments 
of life. 

So important is a real egotism that even that 
one who monopolizes attention, disregards the 
opinions of others and seems oversure of him- 
self is much more to be admired and far hap- 
pier than he who is beset by doubt and indeci- 
sion and who is, therefore, inhibited in drawing 
upon his potential powers. While the distinc- 
tion should always be kept clear between the 
pettiness, the thoughtlessness, and the unkind- 
ness that may arise from mere egoism, I can- 
not too much emphasize the need of a constant 
and vital egotism, as the one great antidote to 
fear and weakness. 

Otherwise the feeling of self-depreciation in- 
sensibly gains the ascendancy simply by a mere 
force of habit. Each effort is disintegrated by 
carrying hidden within its core the seeds of de- 
struction. I find, therefore, that in the ma- 
jority of people constant affirmations are re- 



228 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

quired, to overcome this weakness and to de- 
velop the necessary " sense of self." 

The self-confident mind and no other can 
give play to the natural instinct of curiosity, 
which is our only means of pushing ahead and 
acquiring the necessary knowledge of life. To 
lack in mental curiosity is to lack in initiative 
and therefore in experience. It is to remain 
"put," either paralyzed by fear or anaesthe- 
tized by sheer passivity. The curiosity of chil- 
dren should be encouraged, each question asked 
should be answered and true knowledge be- 
stowed; for the curiosity that leads to the 
query is a positive manifestation and will be- 
come morbid and destructive only when turned 
in on itself, by reason of failure to secure the 
coveted information. 

Curiosity in the sense of prying into other 
people 's affairs is simply an unbridled and un- 
sympathetic desire to "know." It lacks dis- 
crimination and develops mostly in cramped 
and narrow lives, or in the minds of those who 
have no true consciousness of Self and thus 



EMOTION 229 

become aggressively occupied with the con- 
cerns of others. 

To feel confident and sure is not only a much 
to be envied state but a most requisite one. If 
not blessed with it by nature, you should pro- 
ceed to acquire it without further delay. It 
means power and so much does the world love 
power that it permits, or even encourages, an 
assumption of power by persons little fitted 
in point of character, but possessed of a cer- 
tain aggressiveness of manner that impresses 
and overwhelms. 

The common success of the charlatan or im- 
postor, is a living proof of our admiration of 
real egotism even though we deny it. The fact 
that a persistent practitioner of fraud is really 
but preparing his own funeral does not deter 
us at all from bowing at the feet of the power 
he displays while he is successful. 

All the more reason then why every effort 
should be made to inculcate a personal self- 
belief when one is working along lines of 
Truth ; for a feeling of pride and confidence, of 



230 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

being able to create and achieve whatever our 
inner desires suggest to us, is indispensable to 
the sustenance of our vitality, happiness and 
success. Confidence is almost wholly a matter 
of the realization of the powers of the Self and 
it should come first in the development of the 
emotional life as it naturally does in the devel- 
opment of the race. 

Next to confidence in point of importance 
and constructive force comes Love, that sym- 
pathetic and tender feeling which takes the in- 
dividual out of his isolation and binds him to 
the rest of creation. All our ethical exhorta- 
tions have for the past few centuries placed an 
emphasis upon Love, but we are in spite of 
this a long way from the comprehension, to 
say nothing of the application, of this supreme 
law of life. 

It may be because we are now trying to de- 
velop affection and the social sense before hav- 
ing proceeded very far with the development 
of the individual and his power to love. It is 
like trying to draw a circle before knowing how 
to make a straight line; the former is but an 



EMOTION 231 

extension of the latter and cannot be produced 
without a knowledge of line. The circle as a 
symbol represents the universal life, the 
straight line the individual life. Before we 
can experience the emotion of real Love, which 
is an outgoing from the Self to others, we must 
first experience self-love, or the recognition of 
Self. This is the manner of growth in the child 
and should have a significance for all students 
of Behaviour. I give thus briefly my reasons 
for placing Love second rather than first in the 
list of the Positive Emotions and I offer it also 
as a suggestion for a method to be developed 
for the education of the young. 

Love in the abstract is the attractive prin- 
ciple in contradistinction to the aversion rep- 
resented by Anger. Its tendency is all toward 
unity, fusion even, whereas the more primitive 
instinct leads to division and separateness. 
Fortunately for our happiness and the develop- 
ment of the race as a whole, Love is such a 
powerful instinct as to touch us all somewhere, 
sometime, even the animals showing many signs 
of this ennobling emotion. 



232 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

But strong as it is, and salutary as it is, there 
is no one trait requiring more in the way of di- 
rection and control. Love is based on Desire, 
and when unrestrained it tends to covetousness 
and becomes the very antithesis of itself, swing- 
ing back from the unselfishness which is its 
core, into the supreme selfishness that shows as 
a wish for possession and ownership. This is 
the more common form as between men and 
women and usually characterizes most parental 
love as well. 

Love, more than any other emotion, requires 
Freedom for its highest expression, and when 
we can understand the true meaning of the 
phrase "free love," not as an illegitimate pas- 
sion between the sexes, but as a term descrip- 
tive of the real nature of man's most elevated 
feeling, we will be at the beginning of the 
great revelations which life has in store for 
us. I have already spoken of the Freedom of 
the Will, but the Freedom of Love is still 
greater. Carrying us as it does into the realms 
of the creative, super-physical, and spiritual 
life, we find in it the basis of all aspiration, re- 



EMOTION 233 

ligious feeling, and the instinct for humanita- 
rianism which in different ways has character- 
ized the race from its beginnings. 

Love is naturally constructive, it develops 
thoughtfulness and protection for others, it 
enlarges the whole scope of the personality and 
is the only known antidote for selfishness. Not 
always however ; for there is a tyranny of Love 
that is more destructive than its natural com- 
plement, hate. It threatens and coaxes, it 
drags and cajoles — and masters even while it 



We all need more Love, both to give and to 
receive it. We need the universal Love which 
makes us tolerant and kind. We need the per- 
sonal Love which brings intimacy and under- 
standing. And the great and unalterable law 
is, that we will get exactly as much of both of 
these as we are able and willing to give. Let 
us therefore cultivate one power to love, for it 
is the light of existence, and the only thing that 
will satisfy the soul's deepest craving. 

Agreeability, in the sense of a good disposi- 
tion, or kindly feeling, is an expression of Love 



234 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

that perhaps has more to do with the comfort 
and pleasantness of existence than any other 
quality. It is in itself merely a demeanour, but 
is the evidence of a permanently sympathetic 
attitude, which is the opposite of that disagree- 
ableness of manner and uncordiality character- 
istic of those whose affective life harbours any 
degree of resentment. Agreeability appears 
in the individual when he is developed far 
enough out of the habit of petty selfishness to 
realize the feelings of others as he does of him- 
self. It tends also to ease of manner and 
adaptability ; though when united with insincer- 
ity, it becomes mere deceit and is of course no 
longer constructive. 

One of the most difficult problems for the self- 
confident nature is to learn how to project it- 
self into the lives and feelings of others. Sym- 
pathy is the means by which it is accomplished, 
and any success in thus entering into unity with 
another life is dependent upon the development 
and combination of the love-feeling with a true 
consciousness of one's own being. Curiously 
enough, the emergence of one or the other of 



EMOTION 235 

these phases tends to obliterate its opposite, so 
that he who is full of sympathy and tenderness 
is seldom self-sufficient and virile ; while he who 
gives evidence of these latter strong traits, is 
more apt to be inconsiderate, if not ruthless 
with others. But what an ideal is achieved 
when unto strength is added tenderness, as 
when love and sympathy are united with inde- 
pendent power. 

By studying the feelings and probable de- 
sires of those about us we can learn to 
enter into their inner and psychic lives so as 
to become one with them, and relieve, by some 
sort of subtle telepathy their sense of aloneness. 
This is beyond doubt the very essence of the 
love-feeling and makes, automatically, the hap- 
piness of the loved one to become paramount. 

Sympathy can very easily lose its positive 
character, however, and become merely maudlin 
or sentimental ; or it may be the source of great 
weakness and trouble by taking one too far off 
one's own centre. Many times very antipa- 
thetic natures are bound by a kind of psychic 
sympathy or susceptibility that they cannot 



236 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

seem to escape. They forget that when Love 
ceases to be constructive it becomes an enemy 
calling aloud for vanquishment. 

Appreciation is an important phase of Love 
that is too frequently overlooked. By Appre- 
ciation I do not mean gratitude — an emotion 
which like effusiveness, is dangerous because 
of its weakness — but a recognition of kindness 
and a desire to meet it in kind if possible. 
Courtesy is a conventionalized form of Appre- 
ciation and a most requisite one as a lubricant 
to the machinery of life. 

Appreciation is a state of mind, which may 
not always be expressed in words but which can 
stand much more display than is ordinarily ac- 
corded it. This emotion, however, like many 
other phases of Feeling, especially those con- 
cerned with Love, is often neglected or even 
sternly repressed rather than encouraged and 
given vent. We seem to be ashamed of our finer 
feelings, and especially among men there is a 
common dread of giving evidence of any soft- 
ness of heart. This is probably a remnant of 
our earlier and more savage life — in any case, 



EMOTION 237 

it deprives us of one of the joys and construc- 
tive expressions of which we are so much in 
need. 

Joy is the third in my list of Emotions call- 
ing for cultivation and care. Life presents so 
many difficulties to the average person as to 
lead him, by the time he has reached middle 
age at least, to doubt the reality of the existence 
of happiness and our habit is as a whole to look 
more upon the dark side of things than to dwell 
upon the brightness. By so doing much weight 
is added to our troubles, for we are missing the 
one salient fact in connection with the whole 
problem, which is that either joy or sadness 
exists only in the mind and is not a thing de- 
pendent upon the conditions of life. 

To prove this we have only to look about us 
and see among many of those who are sorely 
pressed by want or sorrow, a spirit of true op- 
timism and cheer. The valiant and happy are 
seldom among those whose circumstances would 
lead us to expect it of them. 

As a matter of fact the gloom and mists of 
life are usually dissipated by a persistent spirit 



238 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

of cheer; certainly nothing adds so much to 
the ease with which tasks are accomplished and 
perplexities endured. We constantly vitalize 
our unhappy thoughts and conditions by At- 
tention — things that would disappear of them- 
selves quite readily are kept alive and active 
by the constant and depressing notice bestowed 
upon them. 

Everything from physical pain to the deep- 
est soul disappointment can be ameliorated by 
the application of a persistently joyful spirit. 
This is not a counsel to shallow optimism which 
refuses to see or admit the problems of life, 
but it is a very potent suggestion for the ac- 
quisition of that happiness which the whole 
world seeks. Joy is an affirmative attitude, and 
a state of mind dependent partly upon habit and 
partly upon an inward unity which gives one 
a feeling of well being which external conditions 
have not the power to disturb. 

I think we should believe in happiness more 
than we do. Certainly nothing is more con- 
ducive to health, prosperity and achievement 
than to expect it and have faith in it. We 



EMOTION 239 

should not be afraid to be happy and to 
give vent to it when we are, knowing that in so 
doing we are spreading into some of life's dark 
corners a true radiance. Happiness can be 
cultivated by auto-suggestion until one rises to 
that height of independence in his feelings that, 
bring life what it may, he remains undisturbed 
and possessed of his strongest and best weapon 
— a joyful spirit. To have a capacity for joy- 
ful emotion, for enthusiasm, for unquenchable 
spontaneity, like that of a child, supplies life 
with the real zest and thrill it ought to 
have. 

To pass from Joy to the fourth in my list, I 
have used the general term of Expansiveness to 
represent the Emotion opposed to that of self- 
love. My reasons for doing so will be appar- 
ent, I think, from the foregoing discussion of 
the principal feelings that are grouped under 
the heading of positive — they are all expansive 
in character. Joy may be pictured as a straight 
line going upwards, Expansiveness or Unself- 
ishness can be indicated by a circle on a hori- 
zontal plane — it suggests breadth and inclu- 



240 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

siveness, it does away with the contractions that 
are always consequent upon the feelings of 
Fear, Grief, and Anger. 

On the mental plane Expansiveness means 
breadth and catholicity of thought, freedom 
from prejudice and provincialism. On the 
emotional plane it means sociability, frankness, 
liberality, and affection. It is geniality and 
openness of spirit as opposed to secretiveness, 
shyness, envy, rivalry, acquisitiveness, coldness 
and snobbishness. Eleutherian is a Greek 
word meaning "like a free man, freely giving, 
bountiful/ ' and it seems to me the best to de- 
scribe the antithesis of the narrowness of self- 
love. Truly it is the mark of the enlightened 
soul. 

Keally, Expansiveness means to dive into life. 
up to the hilt, which is what the selfish 
person never does. It is the only means 
of obtaining real knowledge, there is little 
gained in standing to one side and watching 
life pass by. He who has a zest for experience 
with an equal willingness to be enough of a 
"sport" to pay the necessary price in pain for 



EMOTION 241 

his knowledge, is the one who, if he survives, 
is the strongest and best fitted to be a leader 
among his fellow men. But the inhibitory feel- 
ings often master ; one of the strongest of them 
is the dread of making mistakes, than which 
there can be no greater restraint from the ful- 
ness of life. Even the worst of crimes is not 
life at its weakest and poorest, it is rather life 
at its fullest and best, turned, perhaps by a 
trifling incident, in the wrong direction. 

Why stop so much to question whether the 
impulse be right or wrong? To dillydally over 
one's feelings and convictions, to weigh and 
compare them with others, to analyze, is but to 
lose the capacity for emotion and the power to 
act. It is far better to do something than to do 
nothing through doubt or indecision. Whether 
one be resolutely virtuous or the most hardened 
sinner is of less import than whether one has 
the freedom of Will and the courage of his con- 
viction to live as he sees fit. The prevalence of 
the critical and prejudiced spirit, the great ig- 
norance of one-half of the world as to how the 
other half lives, are but evidences of the pau- 



242 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

city of our Emotions as a whole and our dread 
of increasing the meagre store. 

To have experienced something usually means 
to have understood it, at least in some degree ; 
and nothing is a better cure for narrowness and 
selfishness than actual contact with the breadth, 
depth, and power of human Emotions. With 
experience one may pass from the kindergarten 
to the university in the realm of Feelings quite 
as much -as in the life of the Intellect. One 
learns in time to discard the impulses which 
are useless and curb those which are dangerous 
—one gains the courage to dare to feel, as well 
as to guard against satiety. 

The Emotions are ofttimes treated, it is true, 
with the same disregard that the drunkard 
treats his body, with a resulting loss of sensi- 
tiveness and freshness and power. The mod- 
ern man's "brainstorm" or the hysterical 
woman's uncontrolled outbursts are but emo- 
tional orgies showing an excitability and excess 
that can only react to their serious detriment. 
Nothing runs away with us so quickly as Feel- 
ings, and especially those that are indulged in 



EMOTION 243 

for their own sake. The woman who "enjoys 
poor health/' or the man who "carries a chip 
on his shoulder/ ' the habitually "injured' ' per- 
son, the sexual pervert, the religious fanatic, 
are all from the same stem and are in sad need 
of regulation and self-government. But these 
are excrescences on life's tree and have no 
bearing on the essential soundness of our in- 
nate Feelings and our privilege of luxuriating 
in them. 

Broadly speaking, Emotions may be divided, 
and usually are, into the two general groups of 
Pleasure and Pain. There has always been 
contention between the various schools of 
metaphysics as to which of these was the posi- 
tive and which the negative state, some claim- 
ing that Pain was due merely to the absence 
of Pleasure and was, therefore, the positive 
one; while others, claiming that Pleasure was 
due to cessation of Pain, stated it as the posi- 
tive one. Without attempting here to solve the 
old question of whether evil "exists" or not, 
I wish to make it plain that as a working philos- 
ophy of life, I have found nothing to equal 



244 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

that which chooses Pleasure as its positive 
element and believes therefore that Pain is 
negative. This gives Pain the same kind of 
reality the darkness possesses, which is not 
much, as we know by seeing how easily it can 
be dissipated with the appearance of the light. 

Perhaps Pleasure and Pain will always exist 
in about equal parts, somewhat the same as the 
phenomena of day and night. I daresay Pain 
is quite as necessary a reaction to life as Pleas- 
ure is ; but in our present state of development 
it is possible to place the emphasis upon the 
pleasurable Emotions — certainly Pain should 
never be sought for its own sake as it some- 
times is, especially by the habitual melancholic, 
or the emotional fanatic who thus finds an out- 
let for feelings he does not understand how to 
otherwise express. 

Where unavoidable Pain must be stoically 
endured; but if our habit were only to search 
more deeply for causes, and we could recognize 
Pain, as we should, as a sign that we were on 
the wrong track, it would not be long before we 
could eliminate most of our painful experiences. 



EMOTION 245 

Pain whether physical or mental is a danger 
signal to warn us that we are out of order some- 
where, and that it is "up to us" to find the 
cause and set it right. Instead of this, all our 
attention is given to Pain as a symptom — the 
Pain-consciousness is positively acute in most 
people — and their readiness to experience, en- 
large upon, and apparently revel in sensations 
of discomfort of all kinds, be they mental or 
physical, is but a commentary upon the present 
perversity of human nature. No allowance is 
made for natural adaptability, for powers of 
endurance, or for the Reason with which we are 
endowed, by means of which the distress might 
be ameliorated or excised. 

There is a chronic form of Pain called hy- 
peraesthesia — it is a sort of moral and emo- 
tional sensitiveness which makes almost every- 
thing in one's environment to become painful, 
producing a state of high tension and excit- 
ability difficult of comprehension by the less 
complex and more stolid nature. It might 
fairly be rated a pathological condition; and 
while it calls for some tenderness in handling, 



246 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

the only real relief for these sufferers is to get 
a better balance by the development of greater 
ruggedness in their emotional-physical na- 
tures. 

It has been said that one's power of enjoy- 
ment is measured by one's capacity for Pain 
— a truth worth pondering, since it shows how 
perfectly balanced are all laws and all elements 
in one's life, and how one must reach in both 
directions in order to extend the ability to Feel. 
It is true that if one is capable of deep suffer- 
ing, one is also capable of a greater apprecia- 
tion of the things that go to make for satisfac- 
tion and joy, and one should not be afraid of 
either direction. 

I shall not attempt to write a homily on the 
"uses of adversity," since I believe much more 
in the uses of good fortune; but we cannot 
afford to overlook the undoubted fact that Pain 
is superior in its volitional efficacy; for it does 
drive us to action, and increases the life-scope 
as nothing else can. The reason is, that all 
Pain being due to an absence of some of the 
vital powers of life or to their harmonious 



EMOTION 247 

workings, forces us because of its discomfort 
to remedy the defect. 

Hence, in a way, troubles are good for us. 
We have only to look to the infant to see how 
completely his reactions to life are established 
by his various pain-experiences — he seeks food 
because he suffers pain without it, and he 
avoids the things that hurt because after a cer- 
tain number of repetitions he cannot but asso- 
ciate them with the pain-sensation. I do not 
offer this fundamental truth in the belief that 
it will afford any great comfort to my suffering 
reader, but only to help him to a little philoso- 
phy as to the reason for the existence of Pain 
and to show him that in himself lies the key to 
an ultimate escape from it. 

Both Pleasure and Pain emerge from a neu- 
tral state which is prior to and distinct from 
both of them. This state might be called Con- 
tentment and in its immature phases represents 
an embryonic stage like that of the seed which 
has not yet developed its potential powers. 
In our progress through Life and Emotion we 
swing from one extreme to the other, from 



248 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

Pleasure to Pain and back again until we 
finally gain a fine equilibrium, a state of superi- 
ority to either one, which might again be called 
Contentment or imperturbability. It is not, 
however, the Contentment of ignorance, stagna- 
tion or lack of feeling, it is rather the measure 
that accrues to one who has glimpsed the whole 
arc of human experience. This was what the 
Stoics of old worked for and it is not beyond the 
attainment of the modern student of Psychology 
who knows that it is his own attitude toward 
life that determines whether Pain or Pleasure 
shall predominate with him. 

Although Control and Stoicism are among the 
most admirable virtues, my reader will have 
gathered by now that the positive Emotions 
should all represent in some way the natural 
law of Expression, the unfolding and showing 
forth of the instinctive life forces. The great 
crime of civilization has been its ruthless sup- 
pression of all the natural feelings. All the 
way through it has struggled to overlay the 
purely human elements with the restraining and 
artificial domination of the Intellect, until to- 



EMOTION 249 

day, in all social intercourse at least, the emo- 
tional life is seriously maimed and almost use- 
less. This implies a grave loss of force and 
spontaneity; and in addition there are various 
emotional complications resulting from the 
holding back and retention of feelings which in 
the natural course of things should be ex- 
pressed. 

Ideas which in themselves may be quite 
harmless ferment and produce destructive re- 
actions when checked and held in suspension 
in the subconsciousness. For as we have al- 
ready seen, to "forget" a thing is not to de- 
stroy it. Mere intellectual concepts may 
quickly fade away into nothingness, but Feel- 
ings, once generated, do not dissipate them- 
selves without having left their mark and 
produced reactions that may continue indefi- 
nitely according to the amount of force that 
was created or expended. This important 
psychological fact and the unceasing antagon- 
ism between the critical objective consciousness 
and the uncritical but powerful urge of vital- 
ity in the subconsciousness accounts for the 



250 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

constant " surge' ' of the emotional life and ex- 
plains most of the inconsistencies of human be- 
haviour. 

The greatest conflict is between the primor- 
dial craving of the soul for life, love, and ac- 
tivity and the many restrictions imposed by so- 
cial conditions upon the expression of that 
craving. The resulting disquietude is a char- 
acteristic element in the subconsciousness of 
practically every one and is thus a social prob- 
lem as well as an individual one. Fortunately 
it can be solved individually, so that happiness 
and harmony will be manifested on the external 
plane in the natural course. There is quite a 
distinction between working to settle this an- 
tagonism in one's self, and making an antagon- 
ist of society by blaming it for all one's ills. 
It is not so necessary to break with established 
customs in order to satisfy those cravings 
which seem to go counter to the conventions, as 
it is to secure a harmonious internal adjust- 
ment. 

To completely harmonize the conscious and 
unconscious life requires much knowledge and 



EMOTION 251 

intellectual endowment and it is a problem upon 
which we are just embarking in any conscious 
scientific way. It might be said to be the prob- 
lem of human life today. 

I find it comparatively simple to secure the 
desired results in responsive individuals, though 
it is more difficult to formulate laws and meth- 
ods that are applicable to all cases. The all- 
important fact to be taken into consideration is 
that Thoughts and Feelings once repressed on 
account of their painful nature, or never recog- 
nized, do continue to be active and operate along 
lines of their own in the subconsciousness. We 
know that they repeatedly attempt to arise to 
consciousness and that because of our wish to 
forget or our refusal to recognize them there, 
they are forced to assume various disguises 
and emerge in unexpected or substitute forms. 
Thus is often revealed to us a thought or wish 
that we never believed we could have enter- 
tained, thus do we experience various " mental 
landslides ' ' when unknown or long latent parts 
of the subconsciousness suddenly rise to the 
surface causing dire confusion. 



252 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

The skilled Psychologist through long experi- 
ence is able to recognize many of these disguised 
expressions at once and knows his "types" 
as thoroughly as does the biologist. The fun- 
damental theory of Psycho-analysis is that the 
symptoms of hysterical patients (of which 
there is a much wider class than is generally 
supposed) depend upon impressive but forgot- 
ten scenes in their lives. The treatment con- 
sists in causing the patients to recall and re- 
produce these experiences in consciousness, a 
process very properly designated as catharsis, 
because the whole idea is to eliminate the source 
of the trouble. The symptoms themselves rep- 
resent undischarged centres of excitement and 
only require conversion into normal channels 
for relief to ensue — hence the necessity of the 
"clearing-out" process. 

To give a simple but common example, it is 
a habit in a certain type of woman to try and 
conceal a recognized sex-attraction. She does 
this by feigning a coldness she does not feel. 
The wish to repress any evidence of her feel- 
ings turns the natural eagerness and desire 



EMOTION 253 

into an appearance of repulsion, producing a 
cold and disagreeable manner. The real feel- 
ing is of course the exact opposite of this and 
if of any intensity leads either to hysteria or 
to recklessness. 

The cure obviously is to effect a compro- 
mise between the desire to show feeling and 
the equally strong one to hide it. Unless the 
case is a chronic or unusually severe one, a 
recognition of the internal conflict followed by 
a reasonable amount of expression such as the 
conventions permit, will equalize the pressure 
sufficiently to allow the psychic life to become 
normal. The display of aversion is clearly the 
result of too much fear in the first place and 
an inability to be natural. This fear takes 
refuge in the common convention that a woman 
must not show her feelings in relation to the 
opposite sex, and produces an unconscious im- 
passe resulting in a more or less serious mental 
and physical disturbance. 

The method here outlined sounds simple 
enough, but is, as a matter of fact, a most diffi- 
cult and delicate process even where the sub- 



254 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

ject of the operation accords her conscious co- 
operation. It must be remembered that the 
very presence of her trouble is an indication 
of a subconscious rebellion. Sometimes many 
weeks, or even months, are required to effect 
the needed change; but the mere fact that it 
can be done at all is one of the marvels of mod- 
ern psychological achievement. 

There are many other situations dissimilar 
to this one, which call for the same principle 
in treatment. Mental jars and emotional crises 
seldom pass without leaving a scar of some 
kind, so that the old wounds need to be re- 
opened and thoroughly cleansed before health 
and comfort can be properly restored. 

Most conflicts of this nature could be avoided 
if we were more willing to realize our nearness 
to the life of the primitive plane from which 
as a race we are not very far removed in spite 
of all our development. Furthermore, the 
moral distinctions that have come with the 
gradual unfolding of man's higher nature are as 
yet almost entirely arbitrary and superficial, 
giving rise to endless conflicts, doubts, and in- 



EMOTION 255 

compatibilities. Thus the internal moral-emo- 
tional life becomes a hot-bed of dissension. We 
usually try to settle it by accepting the conven- 
tional dictums, at the same time denying them 
vigorously in our secret thoughts and feelings. 

Many there are, for instance, who subscribe 
to the established religious customs of the day 
purely because it gives them a comfortable feel- 
ing to think that somebody or something is 
upholding our " morals." As for actually put- 
ting into practice the precepts they pretend to 
admire, they will tell you, if frank, that it is 
quite impossible, that the ideals are impracti- 
cable and beyond the reach of human nature ! 

Such as these never stop to question the fu- 
tility of an ideal that is not believed in, much 
less do they realize the danger accruing from 
the psychological anomaly thus created. Some- 
times they succeed in adapting themselves to 
this curious double standard and so escape to 
some extent the suffering consequent upon try- 
ing to go two ways at one time. The more sin- 
cere the person, the greater his problem, al- 
though real sincerity is usually backed up by a 



256 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

strength enabling him to solve the question 
definitely one way or another. He does not 
then subscribe to one code of action while his 
heart and belief are in another, or delude him- 
self by shallow hypocrisy. 

This whole question merely indicates that the 
emotional life has up to the present time been 
unregulated, left to the mercy of fancy, whim, 
or headlong impulse. The only regulation we 
have known has been that built upon stern pre- 
cepts concerned with unpleasant words like 
"duty," "punishment," or "being found out." 
A control imposed only by outward necessity is 
no control at all — an unwilling obedience is 
valueless because it does not touch the heart. 
I shall not further moralize. What is para- 
mount is an agreement in one's self, a balanc- 
ing and blending of all the Emotions and a will- 
ingness to accept into consciousness all our im- 
pulses however contrary or ignoble they may 
seem. 

Herein lies the crux of the whole matter. It 
is not necessary to give expression in the form 
of action to those Emotions which we know 



EMOTION 257 

are destructive, or "wrong" as we like to call 
it. There must always be the curb of the Will 
and the supremacy of the higher nature, but 
there are means of escape from this seemingly 
irreconcilable situation, whereby we can main- 
tain the proper restraint and yet at the same 
time find expression or reconciliation for the 
impulses that are usually inhibited. 

The first of these consists, as we have already 
seen, in the simple recognition by the conscious 
mind of the inhibition. Most of our primitive 
impulses are so far buried that we are no longer 
aware of their existence and a certain amount 
of analytical probing is most salutary, in turn- 
ing up to consciousness elemental forces that 
we have consciously or unconsciously repressed. 

This is the Freudian method and an impor- 
tant one, even though they place too much em- 
phasis upon the analytical process with a cor- 
responding weakness on the constructive side. 
For while the raising into consciousness of some 
forgotten or inhibited emotional complex is 
often sufficient to eliminate the disturbance and 
restore harmony, it is in a comparatively small 



258 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

proportion of cases that this happy result ac- 
crues without a subsequent careful synthesis of 
all the elements that have been torn apart in 
the effort to extract the offending member. 

To perform this operation as it is done by the 
average present-day Psycho-analyst is like hav- 
ing a surgical process for the removal of a 
tumour without any succeeding medical care for 
the upbuilding of the weakened constitution. 
The mind is a delicate instrument and the ap- 
plication to it of the analytical process is more 
than likely to produce a mental shock of some 
kind, a reaction simple or violent according to 
the extent of the original damage. The Chris- 
tian Scientists call it a "chemicalization" and 
all Mental Scientists know the symptoms even 
though unacquainted, as often happens, with 
the rationale of their treatment. 

The disturbing reaction, while practically un- 
avoidable in the nature of the circumstances, 
need not last long however, when a wise manip- 
ulator is in charge of the case. The subject of 
right psychological treatment quickly regains 
his poise and finds himself upon a much higher 



EMOTION 259 

plane than before the operation; but the treat- 
ment is only just begun. The subject — or the 
patient, as it usually happens, since Repression 
always makes one ill ultimately — must first 
learn something of his own mental processes 
and be led step by step into a reorganization of 
them on a more harmonious and stronger basis. 

The real means of escape from the conflict 
between Nature and Intellect lies in the process 
called Transmutation, in which we can con- 
sciously recognize and raise to a higher form 
of expression feelings that in their primitive 
state would not be constructive or fitting to our 
environment. 

Thus the common craving for Love, if re- 
strained might lead to a destructive anti-social 
conduct. The craving for Love is however a 
natural and legitimate feeling and should be so 
recognized. If it cannot be satisfied in the or- 
dinary course of circumstances, it can be trans- 
muted or changed on to some other plane of ex- 
pression. In the case of the unmarried woman 
for example, whose instinctive wants are apt to 
be blighted, it is possible for her to find relief 



260 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

and satisfaction in certain constructive occupa- 
tions where there is an outlet for her creative- 
ness and desire to give. Better still, and even 
necessary in some instances, if her repressed 
emotions can find expression in some kind of an 
affectionate attachment — perhaps for a child, 
where the maternal instinct comes into play and 
the responsiveness evoked from the child is 
such as to supply the needed heart-interest. 
A different form of Transmutation is that 
achieved by the artist, who through his creative 
imagination turns his various haunting ideas 
and generative impulses into works of art 
rather than into actions, thus obtaining both 
production and relief. 

The Psycho-therapist is confronted with a 
great variety of problems, all calling for endless 
ingenuity in developing a constructive adapta- 
bility in the many desequilibres who come to 
him for treatment. The larger his experience 
in life, the wider the range of his sympathies 
and the greater his aspirational qualities, the 
more successful will he be in helping them to 
acquire the needed strength and balance. 



EMOTION 261 

Of these psychological difficulties there are 
many varieties with symptoms ranging all the 
way from simple " nervousness' ' through the 
neuroses and psychoses, to complete insanity. 
The great affliction of mental unbalance may 
be said to be almost wholly due to emotional 
repression of some sort, throwing too much 
weight upon a single idea or feeling. The 
pity is that life is so adamantine in some of 
its demands that the good of the individual is 
so often overlooked and sacrificed. Psycho- 
therapy is filling a great need and doing a great 
work in this field where untold suffering has 
so long been without remedy. 

So many emotional states are purely "sub- 
stitute" ones in the effort of the conscious self 
to avoid a painful issue. Various "gusts" of 
feeling are thus likely to rise unbidden, possibly 
in the form of unreasonable anger, or as un- 
expected "tendernesses," or in excessive or 
misplaced mirth. What is called a "nervous 
laugh" is always the evidence of obstruction 
to some desire, usually one concerned with the 
affectional nature. 



262 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

The whole subject of laughter is of the ut- 
most importance in this connection, but as sev- 
eral notable treatises have been devoted to this 
topic especially, I will not say more here than 
to recommend normal wholesome laughter as 
one of the best possible outlets for accumulated 
feelings. The popularity of light amusement 
and entertainments that tickle the sense of 
humour all have a perfectly sound psycho- 
logical basis. In practically all forms of wit 
and humour as well as many other modes of 
naive expression, the heart of man instinc- 
tively lays bare its hidden motives. In excess 
all these expressions become hysterias, phobias, 
or some kind of mental compulsion beyond con- 
trol of the conscious Will. 

But a readiness to see the " funny" side of 
things, a real sense of humour, is indeed the 
saving grace of life and does more than any- 
thing else to preserve the mental balance. He 
who can secure sufficient detachment to be 
amused at himself is in little danger of carry- 
ing bruised feelings about with him or becom- 
ing the victim of a "sore spot" or abrasion in 



EMOTION 263 

his own mind. Wit finds expression in intel- 
lectual form but is essentially an emotional ex- 
perience — one to be sedulously fostered and 
indulged in, without too much respect to cir- 
cumstance or fitness. It is a particularly effec- 
tual means of Transmutation, though it might 
be better if the subject were more often aware 
of what repression he is giving vent to in his 
spontaneous moods. 

This leads me to a consideration of the sec- 
ond means of reconciling the opposition always 
present between the primitive Emotions and 
the Intellect. It is a matter of Education, 
though not in the usual fashion, for it consists 
in encouraging and developing the sensuous or 
emotional side of life — learning how to aban- 
don oneself to all forms of Feeling that are 
not intrinsically destructive. Herbert Spencer 
said, "Whatever moral benefit can be effected 
by education must be effected by an education 
which is emotional rather than perceptive." 

And what is Emotional education! It is 
learning to utilize that which is conceived in 
the Imagination and developed through the 



264 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

Senses; it is spontaneity, creativeness, a sense 
of comradeship and friendly competition, and, 
above all, the power of passing without break 
from thought and fancy into act. It includes 
as a matter of course a recognition of obstacles 
and limitations, but only as challenges to a 
fuller expression of a power that is felt to be 
inherent. 

One of the earliest and most instinctive forms 
of Sense-education is imitation and make-be- 
lieve. Every child lives in a world of his own 
creation which is for the most part a reproduc- 
tion in miniature of the life he sees enacted 
about him. It is closely allied to the play-in- 
stinct, which is an intrinsic delight in activity 
for its own sake without any ulterior motive such 
as the Intellect always supplies in later life. 

Play is an expression of sensuous freedom, 
it supplies refreshment by means of the release 
it allows the simple unaffected spontaneity 
native to childhood — it bubbles forth without 
the consideration and calculation that is essen- 
tial in maturer years when work becomes the 
order of the day. 



EMOTION 265 

Work is imposed, necessitous, restraining — 
though the wise man is careful to choose a 
work that is play to him. If successful in this, 
his occupation does not drain and fatigue him, 
but serves more or less as recreation does, to 
release his inner desires which are the natural 
incentive to all activity. Any restraint can be 
borne, however, if it is relieved with frequent 
intervals of play. We speak of the "play" 
of the imagination, of "playing" the piano, 
phrases indicative of some of the means at 
our disposal for emotional expression. It is 
change, not rest, that we need; and especially 
a faculty for luxuriating in the realm of the 
purely sensuous. 

It is a matter for serious consideration in 
this over-intellectualized age, to develop by defi- 
nite intention the simple functions of the five 
senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch 
— things almost forgotten in their finer mani- 
festations except by the epicure or aesthete. 
Sensuous perception is dulled in most of us. 
We do not see colours, hear delicate sounds, 
smell or taste with any sensitiveness; and as 



266 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

for touch, who but the blind or those deprived 
of some one of the normal senses is able to 
draw upon anything like the fulness of this 
marvellous means of perception. The power to 
gain pleasure from stroking an old Greek vase, 
or to stoop and caress the violets as Tennyson 
was known to do, is a sign of strength as well 
as exquisite sensuousness. 

There is no better avenue for the projection 
of the sensuous, impulsive creative self than in 
a true appreciation of and participation in the 
various art-forms. As a race we are sadly in 
need of the development of the natural aesthetic 
instinct. Of course, Intellect enters to some ex- 
tent into all aesthetic attitudes ; but Emotion is 
the stronger element and makes for a sort of 
detached interest, contemplative in its nature 
and without desire for consideration of prac- 
tical utility. 

To be able to thus enjoy things that have 
no utilitarian value is a sign not only of a 
developed mind, but of developed Emotions as 
well, and is one of the higher pleasures de- 
pendent upon civilization and culture. It must 



EMOTION 267 

be remembered, however, that culture is not 
a matter of books or acquired formulas, it is 
simply being "human" and it comes from a 
wide and sympathetic contact with people. It 
grows out of the play-spirit far more than it 
does out of the university or the cloister. We 
all love the natural person, thus paying a com- 
pliment, even though unwittingly, to the emo- 
tional power and lack of self -consciousness that 
combine to produce real spontaneity. 

To tell the truth, we love all Feeling but are 
too civilized and artificial to admit it. We show 
how much we love it by going to the theatre 
where we can enjoy it by proxy or in secret 
as it were — where the villain can be as villain- 
ous and the heroine as beautiful and sentimen- 
tal as one could wish. We thus momentarily 
create the illusion that we are experiencing 
these things. The greatest applause is be- 
stowed by the audience when the players give 
expression to some sentiment of which they ap- 
prove and not when the art of presenting these 
emotions is at its best or highest. This is quite 
as it should be, since the latter requires an 



268 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

aesthetic appreciation and is therefore largely 
intellectual, while the sentiment expressed al- 
lows a real opportunity for self -dramatization 
— a very vital human matter as we have al- 
ready seen. 

The actors and their parts do indeed sym- 
bolize the various phases of our own personali- 
ties and in their tragic conflicts represent to us 
our own emotional battles. The very human 
desire that all shall come out happily in the end 
of the play expresses the inherent wish in every 
heart for harmony and fitness in life. 

Our need of dramatic representations is all 
the more acute because we do not ordinarily 
dare to confess our own feelings and the extent 
to which we are subject to the very things we 
deny. The stage supplies this deficiency to a 
considerable extent and also enlarges the scope 
of our emotional life because it develops situa- 
tions which we as individuals would never be 
likely to experience. We would therefore be 
far more normal and happy if the universal 
dramatic instinct which shows itself so natu- 
rally in childhood were to be truly cherished 



EMOTION 269 

and developed. The results would be still 
more efficacious if we were ourselves the actors 
instead of being only detached spectators. 

The present-day movement for the commu- 
nity-drama is a move in the right direction and 
will do much for life in America if it can ever 
be popularized to the point of becoming spon- 
taneous and natural to any large number of 
people. We love little children because they 
exhibit and take pleasure in that instinctive 
part of their being which we as adults have 
grown to dislike and fear. But before we can 
give expression to our natural feelings with 
all the directness, simplicity, and power native 
to children, and without apology, we shall have 
to grow much. 

Next to the Drama, Music is the most univer- 
sally available of all our art-expressions. It 
has the added advantage of being the most sub- 
jective and therefore the simplest and most 
sensuous. To understand and get the most out 
of modern music requires of course a certain 
amount of knowledge and training, but this re- 
fers to the technique of its production and has 



270 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

little to do with the relaxation and sensuous 
enjoyment to be obtained from almost any kind 
of harmonious sound. Music should not be 
approached intellectually — the essential thing 
is to listen and to feel — let the thinking come 
afterward. 

The invention of the modern piano is a prac- 
tical help in the development of the emotional 
life, as it has made music available in the 
homes of nearly every one. This has been in- 
creased by the still later development of music 
produced mechanically, thus doing away with 
the necessity for the acquisition of a per- 
sonal technique — though the disadvantages are 
obvious. 

Every one who is the owner of a musical in- 
strument should encourage the habit of musical 
improvisation. Merely letting the hands wan- 
der over the keys without much consideration 
of form or rhythm serves both as recreation 
and self-expression. Every one should sing 
also — both alone and in choruses. Even me- 
chanical music has, generally speaking, a sooth- 
ing effect and can be utilized in a practical way 



EMOTION 271 

by reproducing records of the impulses and 
emotional concepts that appeal to us the most. 
We thus have an opportunity of entering into 
the internal experiences of great geniuses and 
extending our own perceptions accordingly. 

Closely allied to Music is Dancing, than which 
there is no finer art-expression. It is primor- 
dial and instinctive like Music and has the 
added value of uniting bodily activity with the 
psychic and emotional appreciations aroused 
by the other arts. A certain amount of danc- 
ing or its equivalent is really essential to any 
well balanced life ; not so much the convention- 
alized forms prevalent in the modern ballroom 
— though they have their uses — but the more 
aesthetic forms which give vent to a refined 
play-instinct and the creative imagination. 
The pantomime-dance especially is valuable. 
As a picturing out of the various emotions it is 
symbolical, full of significance, expresses many 
delicate nuances of feeling ; that is to say it has 
the essential and fundamental character of aes- 
thetic creation, proceeding entirely from mate- 
rial within the dancer's consciousness. 



272 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

The plasticity and beauty as well as the sen- 
suousness of dancing is almost universally ad- 
mired, but like so many of our emotional pleas- 
ures we prefer to pay others to do it for us — 
we would rather sit and watch a dancer than 
to be human enough or natural enough to take 
part in the demonstration ourselves. Dancing, 
especially improvisation, should be as much a 
part of our emotional education as instrumen- 
tal music — if we would all start the day by a 
little private seance in which we danced and 
acted out our inmost feelings, not only the day 
would be richer, but the whole of life. 

Painting and Drawing are arts which owing 
to the need of a technique are less available to 
everybody than the art-forms just mentioned. 
They are nevertheless of exceeding importance 
in the development of the emotional life and of 
much wider applicability than is generally be- 
lieved. Since Drawing and Painting have been 
introduced into our public school systems, there 
has been full and amazing evidence of the uni- 
versality of this power of representation — 
even what we call talent is so frequent as to be 



EMOTION 273 

most surprising to those who have given the 
subject little thought. 

There is, however, every reason why this 
faculty should be present in all of us, as it is 
the most natural instinct imaginable to wish 
to re-present our thoughts by means of drawn 
symbols. It is in most cases merely latent — 
due again to the restraints of civilization and 
intellectual forms of education. Primitive man 
instinctively produced symbols and images 
which today we prize as true artistic treasures, 
little realizing that we could all do about as 
well if not better, were we allowed some free- 
dom in the matter from infancy on. 

Craftsmanship is that combination of a love 
of beauty with utilitarianism which has in re- 
cent years again become more popular as a 
means of personal expression than has been the 
case since the wide introduction of machinery. 
The efficiency and economy of machine made 
articles has threatened to entirely stifle the ex- 
pression of that beautiful and fitting human de- 
sire to make with our own hands the things 
needed for household and personal use and 



274 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

adornment. We owe much to William Morris 
and his collaborators for re-inspiring the spirit 
of personal craftsmanship, and if we are wise 
we will teach not only our children but ourselves 
the value and superiority of handmade things. 
We will not neglect this wholesome and useful 
form of aesthetic self-expression. 

This projection of the self, especially of the 
Emotional self, into objective and permanent 
forms is highly valuable as a means of ma- 
terializing the life of the Imagination. It is 
essentially an expression of Feeling, and all 
art that departs from this primary law de- 
parts also from its essential function and there- 
fore its greatest value. The modern movement 
in the art world is "Impressionistic" in type 
— that is, it aims to produce certain emotions in 
its beholders rather than exact representations 
of material objects. Even though some of its 
efforts to thus divorce Intellect from Emotion 
have been grotesque in the extreme, the tend- 
ency itself is not only valuable from an artistic 
point of view, but is of great import as a prom- 
ise of a freer and more sensuous expression in 
all life. 



EMOTION 275 

The love of Beauty is in itself probably the 
highest form of aspiration of which the human 
soul is capable. It is Love in its most imper- 
sonal and therefore its most spiritual form; 
it is passion sublimated to the nth degree ; it is 
also an emotional outlet, and he who has not yet 
learned the joy of an appreciation of Beauty 
in some form is indeed barren and drear. We 
need in America especially to cultivate this 
sense — in Literature, in Civics, in Architecture, 
in Decoration, and in our personal lives. 

In Europe it is much more a part of the life 
of the people, owing to their age-long art tradi- 
tions. The Beauty-lover finds in the Old World 
much more to satisfy and feed him, much more 
of the "atmosphere" in which he likes to bask. 
We have to thank the Latin peoples not only 
for their art-forms but for the fine Emotions 
and passionate impulses which gave birth to 
the art-life that is so characteristic of them. 

If we could but tear away our sedateness, 
our proprieties, and our worship of Ideas 
rather than of Feelings, we would be free of 
the greatest hampering elements in our self- 



276 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

elected paths of progress. Freedom means 
neither license nor immorality, though unfor- 
tunately it is associated with these ideas in the 
minds of most. Eeal freedom, as we have al- 
ready observed, has its first essential in self- 
expression and is therefore the very basis of a 
constructive emotional life. 

But while pleading for expression, I shall 
pause long enough to draw attention to one 
more phase of it — an unbridled and excessive 
one which is all too common. I speak of In- 
toxication, a state in which there is generally 
a real riot of Emotion. It is usually induced 
artificially by means of drugs or liquor, though 
there are many kinds of ' ' drunks ' ' besides this 
one. In the chapter on Imagination we have 
already seen how the creative side of the men- 
tality finds more freedom when the usual in- 
hibitions of objective Intellect are thus re- 
moved. 

It is this desire subconsciously apprehended 
which leads to drink as a vent for repressed 
Emotions. It is a common sight to see any 
one who is under the influence of liquor be- 



EMOTION 277 

having exactly opposite to his usual habit. 
The man who is well behaved and considerate 
in his normal state will become quarrelsome and 
even violent when the censorship of Intellect 
and Will is weakened or removed. Likewise 
it is a common phenomenon to see unusual af- 
fection or sentimentality displayed when the 
discriminating appraisal of pride and mastery 
is absent. These are but signs of impulses 
from which the embargo has been removed, and 
should make us pause long enough to better un- 
derstand the nature of the intense longing that 
is the downfall of so many. 

Drinking to excess is a symptom, — it shows 
a marked loss of psychic balance, and may, in 
irregulated lives, be a useful and even a neces- 
sary escape valve. It is for this reason a seri- 
ous matter to inflict compulsory prohibition. 
It is not really legitimate to shut off the only 
means of emotional release available to the 
majority, until a constructive substitute is pro- 
vided. 

To do so is merely to strike at symptoms, not 
causes. There is no value, either practical or 



278 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

moral, in preventing the act while the cause 
remains untouched — I with Mark Twain, "hate 
those enemies of the human race who go around 
enslaving God's free people with pledges — to 
quit drinking instead of to quit wanting to 
drink"! 

To really alter the desire-life enough to purge 
the world of this, one of its greatest evils, would 
mean subconscious re-education on a wholesale 
plan and is not at the present time practical 
except in individual cases. Therefore nothing 
but damaging explosions can be expected with 
the shock-absorber of intoxication entirely re- 
moved. If all lives were worked out on a 
normal basis there would be no need of, and 
practically no desire for, spirituous liquors. 
Even as a stimulant they would be unnecessary, 
because in a sane and balanced life, the natural 
Emotions would supply sufficient motive power 
without external aids. It is only where one is 
righting against one's self that drugs are 
needed to dull the sensibilities. The man who 
"drinks to drown his sorrow" is merely follow- 
ing the line of least resistance, dreading to meet 



EMOTION 279 

the issue squarely of his loss. If he but knew 
it, he only defers that day when he must really 
solve his problem with an active Will and manly 
courage. 

It is plain to be seen that advantageous and 
attractive as the expression of Emotion is, it 
must be tempered and united with a control- 
ling Intellect. Yet there are many times — and 
these are the things that I feel most impelled 
to impress upon my readers — when Intellect 
should be utterly abandoned and deserted. 

One must, in order to be truly responsive, 
whether it be in the purely human relations or 
in an appreciation of the abstract virtues such 
as Wisdom, Truth, and Beauty, be able to be 
like a harp upon which the winds of life are 
playing — able to give forth in the many and 
varied forms that life affords, an expression of 
true sensibility, a responsiveness that knows no 
bounds. 

I have tried within the brief span of a chapter 
to give some survey of the Emotions as a whole, 
though all that can be said is cold and inade- 
quate as compared to the dominant part played 



280 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

by the passions in human life. If I have suc- 
ceeded in pointing the way toward the balance 
that is possible between seemingly irresistible 
emotional tendencies and the arrestive power of 
the Will, my efforts will not be without value. 

It is probable that in the perusal of my obser- 
vations on the subject each of my readers will 
find that certain profound and more or less 
hidden states of feeling have arisen to his con- 
sciousness. This also is a practical result 
which if achieved cannot fail to be of con- 
siderable personal value. While the forego- 
ing study of the Emotions is far from being 
exhaustive, it should serve as a sort of diagram- 
matic starting point for the sincere student 
who finds the study of human impulses not only 
of great fascination, but of the greatest serv- 
ice in pointing the way to that superior life 
which we all, in our hearts, believe and hope 
for. 

The following study on "Sex" is an effort to 
supply in part, the characteristic omission or 
deficiency in the treatment of this most vital 
of all the Emotions. 



CHAPTER VI 
SEX 

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE CREATIVE LIFE 

Sex, as every one knows, is, with the exception 
of self-preservation, the strongest and most 
vital of the human instincts. Its importance 
to the individual and to the race as a whole 
is manifestly paramount, and the day has come 
when we must fling aside our conventional 
attitudes and dare to search into its meaning 
and manifestations, with at least the same sin- 
cerity we approach other and less vital sub- 
jects. I have devoted a chapter to Sex in this 
volume, not only because it is a subject en- 
crusted with the most dense and dangerous ig- 
norance, but because it has more to do with 
the shaping of our Behaviour and our destiny 
than any other single force or influence in life. 
Let the reader who would decry or doubt this 

281 



282 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF "BEHAVIOUR 

statement be very frank and honest with him- 
self (or herself as the case may be, as women 
are less likely to admit it than men) and if 
such a one does not agree with me after a 
careful reading it will be for one or two rea- 
sons; either through ignorance of the facts of 
life, or, through prejudice and bad training, 
he is too disturbed by the truth to want to 
admit it into his consciousness. 

At first glance it seems inexplicable to the 
unbiased student of life, that anything so cen- 
trally concerned with our very existence, and 
so evidently capable of causing both the great- 
est happiness and the greatest harm, should 
have been so sedulously kept in its chambers 
of darkness, breeding endless errors and de- 
struction, when it should have been above all 
other things a matter of earnest study and a 
light on the path as to the significance of life. 

The reason is not far to seek however. The 
vast range of sexual activities and their un- 
disputed dominion over the destinies of men, 
even though but dimly apprehended, has over- 
whelmed us with a sense of futility and caused 



SEX 283 

us to ignore and shrink from its power — like 
ostriches in the sand. It is fear that has kept 
us from a knowledge of the Great Mystery; 
and woe unto him who dares to disturb the 
world's sleep by tearing away any of the veils 
before the Temple! Yet some one must speak 
the word to dispel the darkness that beclouds 
the Truth and even a small contribution to our 
limited and distorted knowledge is indispensa- 
ble from the point of view of the progress and 
welfare of both the individual and the race. 

What then is Sex! That no real definition 
exists is but one of the many stumbling blocks 
in the way of our path to knowledge. Cer- 
tainly Sex is not a mere anatomical distinction 
with its implications of physical attraction; 
and neither is it a state of mind, although it 
gives rise to innumerable psychological mani- 
festations of the most profound sort. It must 
be seen clearly, at the outset, that Sex is a 
discarnate thing, an abstraction, and quite be- 
yond the reach, in its entirety, of the mind of 
man. We can, however, dimly recognize it as 
a Principle — a universal creative Force, im- 



284 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

manent and profound, an Energy, showing it- 
self forth in humanity as an Instinct and an 
Emotion truly titanic in its proportions. 

I have chosen in this study to regard Sex as 
the great Emotion, albeit somewhat abstractly. 
To treat of it at all adequately I must depart 
from the more closely psychological method 
which I have followed up to this point, for the 
pertinent reason that there is as yet no estab- 
lished Psychology of Sex; also any study of 
the motives activating the sex-life, must, to 
be of value, include a philosophy of Sex, a 
consideration of its origin, nature and purpose, 
which is much wider than is generally supposed. 

Such research as has been made has been 
almost entirely physiological in character, treat- 
ing Sex as a physical instinct only, with the 
single purpose of propagation as its end and 
raison d'etre. Love has, of course, been dealt 
with in relation to Sex, but only as implying 
the addition of a certain degree of tenderness 
to simple sexuality — while some, regarding 
Love as a higher evolution and self-existent, 
have differentiated it entirely from the sex-in- 



SEX 285 

stinct. But elevating Love to the dignity of 
an Emotion (which as we will remember is 
merely a conscious awareness of an instinct) 
does not divorce or separate it in any way 
from its sexual origin and foundation. 

Sex, like many other Forces and Feelings, 
becomes very complex when it rises from the 
animal' into its human manifestations, and takes 
on a different cast, as it should; and while we 
shall consider it almost exclusively from the 
emotional standpoint, as one of the main- 
springs of human behaviour, I maintain that 
we cannot do so to any purpose without a full 
recognition of it as an Abstract Principle which 
is inherent, innate, and of supreme value as a 
plastic force in the hands of man. 

This might be called for the sake of distinc- 
tion a purely " human' ' view, one aiming to get 
at the heart of the subject as nearly as possi- 
ble in its relation to the daily lives of men and 
women; yet even here the number of laws to 
be deduced is few, and any frank discussion of 
personal sex-problems being somewhat beyond 
the scope of this work, it is very difficult to 



286 THE PSYCHOLOGY OP BEHAVIOUR 

convey that knowledge which the author feels 
to be of paramount importance in the treatment 
of Behaviour. 

The only available Psychology of Sex up to 
date, beyond the observations of men like Her- 
bert Spencer and Havelock Ellis, and the scat- 
tered work of the modern novelists, is that to 
be found in the recent but extensive studies in 
mental Pathology. The Pathology of Sex is 
extremely valuable, throwing as it does much 
needed illumination on the hitherto hidden 
phases of the normal healthy sex-life. 

A knowledge of life that does not include a 
certain degree of information on this subject is 
not only incomplete, but is seriously hampered. 
Only by some acquaintance with the appalling 
and widespread degeneracies of Sex, for in- 
stance, can one gain any perspective of its mys- 
terious power, as well as the criminal ignorance 
which surrounds it on all sides. Studies such 
as these if carried to any extent may, of course, 
produce morbid reactions of a harmful charac- 
ter and should be undertaken only by a mature 
and well-balanced mind or under proper direc- 



SEX 287 

tion ; for it is not difficult when peering for long 
into these abysses to lose one's faith in the 
real whole someness and stability of human 
beings. 

As for any belief in the essential purity of 
Sex, needless to say it cannot be found in the 
fields of Pathology, and to tarry too long 
therein may deprive one of that which one al- 
ready has. Yet I see no hope for the future of 
humanity without that kind and quality of 
courage which fears nothing, not even the de- 
pravity before which human nature so often 
lies abject. To see is to remedy, mayhap — at 
least we can do nothing with our eyes bandaged 
and our hands tied. 

I have just said that the study of Sexual 
Pathology should be undertaken only by the 
mature and serious-minded — this is true 
enough, but if we were only big enough 
and clear enough in our own minds about 
the entire subject of Sex to educate our chil- 
dren properly, the whole problem of Sexual 
Pathology would shortly be solved, or very 
nearly so. For the harm begins with our un- 



288 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

willingness to answer the natural questions of 
the child when they first arise in his conscious- 
ness. We hate to admit — for reasons inex- 
plicable, except perhaps for shame at our own 
failure to solve the problem — the appearance of 
the Sex-instinct in the child. As a matter of 
course it first develops at about five years of 
age — last probably in the chronology of the 
instincts — and it is at this period that the child 
first , begins his natural inquiries, which are 
destined to be met with such lies and evasions 
as to finally discourage him and turn back upon 
himself the rising currents of his most vital 
energies. 

What untold harm is generated at this 
point there is no computing; but certain 
it is that none but the most favoured child es- 
capes the discord and marring incident upon 
such an experience. And when I say favoured, 
I mean either that child born of such parents 
that he is reared in both freedom and wisdom, 
or that still more unusual one who is of such 
temperamental soundness as to escape un- 
scathed, by miracle as it were, from the psycho- 



SEX 289 

logical mires and tangles thus imposed upon 
him. 

Why is it that parents evade this plain duty, 
this one path more vital to the welfare of their 
children than any other 1 It is not because they 
are entirely without knowledge, for life has 
taught it to them, usually with much pain and 
many scars. It is not because they are afraid 
of "putting the wrong thoughts into the chil- 
dren's minds ' ' for they know quite well what the 
right ones are. They have only to look back 
into their own childhood to know that in the 
absence of the right attitude and instruction 
from the parents, the child will inevitably sat- 
isfy his curiosity in channels that are sure to 
be saturated with poison. No, it is none of 
these things, it is simply cowardice, a dread of 
facing facts that are too big for them and an 
unwillingness to rise superior to the lethargy 
and silence imposed by custom. 

Probably this reluctance has its origin in an 
acquired dislike and desire to repress what is 
felt to be only an "animal instinct " — somehow 
with the development of the Intellect has come 



290 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

a breaking away from natural standards and 
a heady sort of contempt for conditions which at 
an earlier stage of our evolution were accepted 
simply enough. It is not natural, it is not 
sensible, and it is not right, to assume an 
attitude of moral superiority toward Sex or 
any other vital fact of life. And yet we do 
it. 

I believe a study of Natural Science in the 
early years of life would do much to dissipate 
the prudish and harmful feeling about "ani- 
mal instincts." Children born and raised in 
the country where they see the natural life of 
animals are more apt to be normal in their 
attitude toward certain primitive facts, but even 
they could gain a new and deeper significance 
by the wider and more thoughtful observation 
to be obtained through scientific studies. Less 
time spent upon dead languages and imperti- 
nent mathematical problems and more upon ob- 
taining knowledge of the vital human processes 
would do much to eradicate the false and shal- 
low ignorance so prevalent today. It would 
do much to save the innocent, weak, and a§- 



SEX 291 

piring children who are set out upon life's way 
in utter ignorance of its manifold dangers and 
pitfalls. 

It is true there has been a certain amount 
of modern agitation for sex-education in 
the schools, which has resulted in hopeful 
attempts in this direction. They are, however, 
perfunctory, in the nature of the circumstances ; 
and the duty (and incidentally the privilege) 
falls back upon the parent, who is after all the 
only one who can speak of the finer and more 
intimate phases of Sex with the proper delicacy. 

But to successfully teach anything about Sex 
to either young or old, we must first strip it 
of some of the many misconceptions surround- 
ing it. Having disposed of the folly of our 
habit of silence in connection with it and of the 
fallacious attitude which sees in it something 
intrinsically low and ignoble, let us now consider 
the important question of the true function of 
the sex-principle, as it shows itself in the physi- 
cal relations of men and women. 

There has always been a strong contingent 
insisting upon the purely racial functions of 



292 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

Sex and who believe that it exists only for 
the perpetuity of the race without respect to 
individual desires or welfare. It has been con- 
tended that Nature, the blind force bent upon 
multiplication and continuity, brings each pair 
together with the single ulterior design of unit- 
ing them for reproductive purposes. 

The universality and seeming inevitability of 
the law of reproduction gives some ground, of 
course, for such a claim; but if we as human 
beings have been endowed with Beason, and 
Will, and Emotions, and if, furthermore, we 
have come into any degree of spiritual self- 
consciousness, what can it all be for if not to 
declare our rights as individuals in matters so 
pertinent as these! 

What can be of greater importance than the 
personal sex-life? Yet we have been taught 
that an absolute resignation and obeisance to 
the universal laws is necessary in this, while en- 
deavouring with serious purpose to free our- 
selves from other conditions no less universal 
and apparently as inevitable. We do not spare 
any effort to overcome sickness and disease, for 



SEX 293 

instance, and to save all forms of human life, 
even those that are defective or useless alike to 
society and to themselves. Yet any discussion 
of " birth-control' ' or possible checks to popu- 
lation is met with a storm of protest and cries 
of " race-suicide." 

From a sociological standpoint even the senile 
decadence and death of the individual may be 
shown to be advantageous to the race, but it 
would certainly be odd to describe this as ad- 
vantageous to the individual. Certain physical 
feelings plainly lead to the propagation of the 
species, but this does not help us at all to as- 
certain what unknown character and signifi- 
cance they may have as sources of expression 
and fulfilment for the individual. 

To suppose for a moment that the majority 
of people meet in a physical union for the 
specific purpose of reproduction, or to satisfy 
their parental feelings, is sheer folly; and to 
sidestep the question by assuming that this 
function was made desirable simply to main- 
tain the race, is equally fallacious, reducing the 
whole matter to a purely mechanical device, 



294 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

eliminating every one of its psychical, emo- 
tional, and spiritual elements. 

The error lies in placing Sex among the in- 
evitable fatalities of life and then endeavour- 
ing to find suitable explanations that will enable 
us to submit gracefully to a force which appar- 
ently we cannot escape. Quite apart from its 
undeniable collective social purpose, we should 
frankly recognize that it is intended, in its 
higher phases, to augment and sustain the indi- 
vidual — to serve man rather than enslave him. 

Let us briefly trace the evolution of Sex from 
its early or instinctive state. In the majority 
of animals and in some men it does not rise 
above the level of a mere physical sensation, 
blind and insistent; even in beings devoid of 
nervous systems, as in the vegetable or animal 
micro-organisms, we find the same law at work. 
The equivalent of sexual attraction is even to be 
found in the mineral world in the chemical se- 
lective affinity plainly apparent between certain 
atoms. In man this instinct evinces itself as a 
semi-conscious appetite, a hunger, driving him 
by its force to seek satisfaction as best he may 



SEX 295 

and in much the same manner as he obtains food 
for the body. 

Eising from the realm of simple physical 
impulse Sex becomes an Emotion, an Idea, 
where . instead of being a blind isolated force, 
it becomes a conscious and complex desire, 
united in varying measure to all the finest 
instincts in human nature. We have already 
considered what the power of untrammeled 
Emotion may be and can realize that the Sex- 
emotion, especially, requires for its higher ex- 
pression a tempering by, and coalescence with, 
the Will. When this point is reached we have 
a truly spiritual impulse, containing and in- 
cluding in itself the whole range of human ex- 
pression. 

When once we appreciate the exalted 
heights to which Sex as a force may attain, 
we can better understand that the opposite end 
of this pole of possibilities must be as low as 
the one is high. In other words the depths of 
infamy to which the human manifestations of 
Sex have descended are but measures of the 
magnificent heights to which it may reach. 



296 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

The degree of these possibilities and this de- 
velopment are solely dependent upon the indi- 
vidual. In so far as he can personally realize 
the depth and significance of the Sex-feeling, 
in so far can he elevate himself and the race. 
To begin with, he must know that Sex is mental 
and spiritual as well as physical; he must see 
the sex-act not only in its utilitarian aspect but 
as a symbol of the great creative act by 
which all life came into being. He must 
recognize himself as a Conscious Creator; not 
only a creator in the physical sense, contributing 
his quota to the world's population; but as a 
generator of force, magnetism, of ideas and 
emotional power, which when once conceived 
and released are undoubtedly the greatest con- 
tributions any one human being can make to 
life. 

It may be a new idea to many that the genera- 
tion of either mental or emotional power has 
anything to do with Sex or with the sex-rela- 
tion. The thought of it as existing solely for 
the satisfaction of a physical need has been ad- 
hered to so closely that its connection with and 



SEX 297 

instigation of the higher mental and emotional 
processes has been for the most part over- 
looked. 

It is true of course that both ideas and emo- 
tional power can be formed and projected by 
one individual alone, and quite apart from the 
sex-act, although even then the process is es- 
sentially a generative one ; but when two people 
come together who are in any sense mated, there 
is not only an exchange of their respective 
qualities, there is also the creation of some- 
thing new, a power, a third element which rep- 
resents the sum total and combination of all 
their energies and attributes. 

This is true to some extent even when 
there is no conscious sex-feeling between 
them, as in the case of friends; but the 
greater the intimacy the greater the possibili- 
ties ; and the something new that is created be- 
comes the joint possession of both. When it 
is a physical union only that takes place, the 
natural outcome is a physical conception, the 
production of another human being; when the 
contact is on one of the higher planes also, 



298 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

there may be in addition, or instead of, the 
usnal physical outcome, a conception and birth 
of new powers, new visions — an im-material 
fruition it is true, but who shall say that it 
is not of at least equal import, if not greater? 

The generative process when thus ethereal- 
ized may perhaps no longer be called genera- 
tion; but it can be called regeneration, in that it 
1 ' makes over" the persons participating in it 
and transmutes a physical impulse into an ex- 
hilarating experience that co-ordinates and 
blends the entire nature. It involves the con- 
scious sublimation of an instinct, which though 
intrinsically good, has hitherto been very lim- 
ited in its expression ; and it opens the door on 
some of those hidden springs of creative energy 
which animate us all at times. It tends also 
to bring under the control of the conscious Will 
a force that is ordinarily only intermittent in 
its manifestation. 

The reason of all this is not far to seek. 
Again we see the quality of Nature expressing 
itself, this time in the positive and negative ele- 



SEX 299 

ments as represented by man and woman. 
Each possesses certain inherent qualities which 
complement and fulfil those of the other. Man 
is simple, dominant, his natural occupations 
those of the forager and provider — woman is 
complex and receptive, her functions those of 
tending, giving form and direction to that which 
is supplied her. These characteristics are gen- 
eral, though a gradual fusion is to be noted as 
taking place between the sexes which points to 
an extension of the capacities of both men and 
women until each is all-inclusive and self-suf- 
ficient. This does not necessarily imply a com- 
plete absorption of one in the other and a con- 
sequent loss of their separate characteristics. 
The Androgyne, toward which I feel we are 
tending, will not be a sexless creature, but a 
more complete one, thus making the process 
of give and take between men and women one of 
infinitely greater potentialities that at present. 
While the male is to all appearances the 
stronger and more dominant of the two sexes, 
this is true on the external plane only. Psychi- 



300 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

cally the relations of the two are reversed, and 
as between them woman becomes the positive 
element, the leader. 

A common misconception is that women are 
more apathetic and weaker sexually than men. 
As a matter of fact they are much less passive 
sexually than is generally supposed and should 
be given credit for the same primary endow- 
ment that we assume quite naturally belongs 
to man. There are, of course, a considerable 
number of women of markedly cold natures, 
even among women who are not only intelligent 
and capable, but attractive to the opposite sex; 
but this is one of the variations and abnormal- 
ities incident upon a certain type and does not 
apply at all to women in general. 

Not only is the normal woman well-sexed, 
but she is capable by reason of greater 
imagination and sensitiveness, of express- 
ing her sex-feelings in stronger, finer and 
more varied ways than a man. She possesses 
what most men do not, a power of diffusion, so 
that passion is not to her a thing concentrated 
only in the sex-act but a force capable of inspir- 



SEX 301 

ing all kinds of deep emotion, especially that of 
affectionate and maternal regard. A woman's 
mate is to her always somewhat of a child — 
which is as it should be, since most men never 
outgrow boyhood even in their maturity. 

The presence of the more delicate and intu- 
itive sides of a woman's nature fit her in a pe- 
culiar way to be the leader, if not the aggressor, 
in the sex-relation. This is quite contrary to 
the conventional opinion which assumes that a 
woman's part is always, or should be, that of 
passivity or acquiescence, that it is not 
"womanly" to permit even the faintest sign of 
her natural desire to show itself. Nothing 
could be more absurd or contrary to nature, 
since the primary law in regard to the relation 
of the sexes is that it is a matter concerning 
each alike, a partnership, an expression of 
equality. The spontaneity of such an attitude 
has of course been much disturbed or destroyed 
by the property rights vested in man and his 
assumption of possession or ownership of the 
woman. 

As a matter of fact, and fortunately for the 



302 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

happiness and good of the race, women have 
more or less evaded this imposition, by the de- 
velopment of subtlety and finesse. If this tend- 
ency becomes at times sheer craftiness, it is but 
an expression of the law of compensation, an 
inevitable reaction from too much pressure and 
constraint. By means of her subtlety and in- 
tuition, woman more often than not leads, if 
she does not control man, in all the varied rela- 
tions which in the natural course consummate 
themselves in a sex-union or marriage. She is 
quicker, more perceptive, and unconsciously 
takes advantage of man's lesser knowledge of 
himself, and of his general inarticulateness. 
The pity is that this superiority is not usually 
maintained after marriage — then, something ap- 
parently innate in the woman, a certain weak- 
ness and tendency to slavishness, betrays her. 
She becomes abject under the power of her 
emotions and bestows herself without reserve. 
Nothing is more fatal to the permanance and 
pleasure of the relationship — not because of 
anything innately ignoble in the man, but be- 
cause the woman has abdicated her natural po- 



SEX 303 

sition of prophetess and guide into those mys- 
terious realms which are always better known 
to her than to her mate. 

Also in the exercise of her power of elective 
affinity, she has deprived the man of his equally 
strong desire to seek — in fact, as his affection 
and attentions very largely centre around him- 
self as "quester," this quality must be fostered 
and not smothered by his mate. He knows in- 
stinctively that the woman's knowledge and 
feeling is finer and deeper than his — with this 
she must content herself. 

All men of fine feeling recognize this dif- 
ference and would prefer that a woman main- 
tain at least a degree of aloofness, not more 
than is compatible with ardent and loving ex- 
pressions to be sure, but enough to permit him 
to feel that he still retains his own freedom and 
individuality, as well as to allow him the posses- 
sion of a certain Ideal to which he may look 
for guidance. 

All of these delicacies and interrelations of 
Sex are quite missed ordinarily because the 
conventional point of view is so firmly fixed 



304 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

upon the man as a "lord of creation'' and the 
woman as his "serf." That this unfortunate 
inequality has prevailed for the most part for 
ages past does not mean that, in spite of an 
outward seeming, many have not come much 
nearer to the true secrets of Sex than would 
have been supposed; and where today the re- 
lationship is still so often one of inequality, 
of master and slave, we must not forget that 
when such is the case it is quite as much 
the fault of the acquiescing, self-immolating 
woman as it is of the egotistic and dominating 
male. 

Both sexes have yet much to learn — 
there is great hope in the comparative freedom 
between them that is more customary today, 
especially in America, than probably ever be- 
fore. If we can develop a true co-operation and 
better sense of camaraderie, we will have paved 
the way toward that ideal union of which we 
all dream. In that day men will cease their 
patronage of women, women will cease their 
machinations for the enmeshing of men. Sex 
will be in a fair way to become the constructive 



SEX 305 

personal element it was meant to be, as well 
as the great upbuilder of the race. 

To better arrive at the personal possibilities 
in Sex, let us outline again more definitely its 
several planes of expression. On the physical 
plane we have the whole problem of genera- 
tion, which through the modern science of 
Eugenics has been given some small part of the 
attention it deserves. We study zealously in 
order to master every detail of the law of re- 
production when we wish to breed cattle or 
other fine animals, and definite specific results 
are secured, showing how far man has pro- 
gressed in his mastery of these physical laws. 
Certainly the production of the human species 
is of infinitely greater importance than the 
breeding of animals, though the present trend in 
this direction confines itself so closely to the 
purely mechanical and physical side of the ques- 
tion as to be very limited in its value. 

In order to have vigorous and well endowed 
offspring, men and women have many other 
problems to consider than the merely physical 
ones. The conception of a child should be a 



306 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

sacrament ; which implies not only a high inten- 
tion, but has even more to do with mind and soul 
states than it has with the body. "When this is 
understood, and not before, our children will 
be the outcome of our higlfest and most com- 
plete selves and worthy of our best desires. 

It seems in this connection almost unneces- 
sary to call attention to that view which regards 
the physical sex-craving as a law unto itself. 
Yet there are many still bound by it, especially 
among men, who having always claimed "free- 
dom" to satisfy this appetite, know compara- 
tively little of the possibilities and advantages 
of restraint. Too often does the man prepare 
the funeral of his own pleasure either through a 
degrading promiscuity, or by attempting to ex- 
ercise a mastership over his partner rather 
than over himself. In nothing is he more likely 
to be selfish and yet nothing will deprive him 
more quickly or completely of the possibility of 
an adequate response from his mate. 

Clearly no man has the moral right to enter 
into the marriage relation without having first 
demonstrated to himself that he is a master of 



SEX 307 

his physical feelings and capable of self-control. 
Many there are who possess these virtues in 
other fields and yet neglect them sadly in the 
most important relationship in life and thus 
destroy the finest and best that would otherwise 
be in store for them. There are women too who 
need this caution, women who though they may 
display it in somewhat different ways, yet tinge 
all their behaviour with an unmastered sex-in- 
stinct. 

Another phase of the physical side of Sex is 
the constructive one it affords of an oppor- 
tunity for the exchange of magnetism or bodily 
vibrations. Though it is not possible to sep- 
arate these entirely from vibrations character- 
istic of the mental and emotional life, we all 
know the physical magnetism and power of the 
human " touch" and the pleasure it gives us 
merely to be near certain people. This sensa- 
tion arises from the stimulus of harmonious 
vibrations and where the sex-element in it is 
strong it can be exceedingly invigourating and 
salubrious. 

To make the interchange of any value, the 



308 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

magnetic output between the two must bt 
nearly equalized; otherwise we see the com- 
mon phenomenon of one of the pair waxing 
strong at the expense of the other. Physical 
intercourse should augment the strength of 
both parties to it and in the absence of this 
some important readjustment is required be- 
tween them. 

In the emotional realm of Sex there is the 
greatest possible range and it is the one most 
widely experienced^ in spite of the commonly- 
held idea that Sex is entirely physical. The 
emotionalism of Sex is only partially under- 
stood, and the Freudian contention that all 
emotions are associated with the sex-emotion 
has raised a storm of protest; but this is only 
because the universal significance of Sex is 
not yet comprehended. 

The sex-feeling has, emotionally, two prin- 
cipal functions. It is at the same time the 
greatest outlet and the greatest stimulus of 
which we have any knowledge. It is in the na- 
ture of a tonic — simply to feel that one is de- 
sired, and attractive in the eyes of the op- 



SEX 309 

posite sex is a great exhilaration. This feel- 
ing is especially strong in women who often 
covet admiration that they never wish to 
see realized or consummated in any way. 
They are satisfied and thrive upon the simple 
stimulus of having aroused an attraction or 
desire in another. This emotion extends all 
the way from the most innocent and uncon- 
scious flirtation or " passing attraction," to a 
state of vampirism or deliberate exercise of 
sex-power for the enslavement of another. 

If all sex-emotion is repressed, the result is 
either irritability and extreme sensitiveness, or 
great depression and lack of vitality. If ex- 
cessive it satiates and weakens, though the 
danger on this score is comparatively small, 
except where there is no natural check as in 
cases of solitary indulgence. 

Many and serious pathological states result 
from a misuse of the sex-emotion, especially 
from a long continued abstinence, even in those 
of a very normal and equable temperament. 
An extended deprivation in either sex, for 
whatever reason, is productive of all sorts of 



310 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

mental, moral, nervous, and physical disorders. 
Compensating factors may be provided, of 
course, to ameliorate the intensity of the symp- 
toms; congenial friends, creative occupation, 
and outdoor life do much to maintain the dis- 
turbed equilibrium; but the fact still remains, 
however much we may dislike to admit it, that 
the complete abstinence from both physical and 
emotional sex elements is abnormal and brings 
its own penalty. 

Physicians know this but can do little, as ordi- 
narily the only advice they can give is imprac- 
ticable and apt to be anti-social in its applica- 
tion. The problem is manifestly one for treat- 
ment by the Psycho-therapist, who if he can- 
not remedy the lack in his patient's life, can at 
least offer him some reasonable substitutes in 
the way of mental and emotional expressions. 

A gentle stimulus of the sex-emotion is 
gained through all normal social intercourse, 
and especially in such amusements as dancing, 
where the magnetic exchanges are secured as 
well. Any segregation of the sexes that is long 
continued cannot be otherwise than detrimen- 



SEX 311 

tal. It is particularly desirable that during the 
adolescent period there should be a free inter- 
mingling, in spite of the distractions and loss of 
mental interests that is often claimed as a re- 
sult of association in this period. The "old 
maid" who lives in a family of brothers or 
masculine friends seldom develops the peculiar- 
ities so characteristic of her in an isolated state. 
Men lose not only their charm and gentleness of 
manner when much separated from women but 
suffer other depletions as well. 

Theoretically the association of man and wife 
is supposed to supply all the needed elements ; 
as a matter of fact the relationship is seldom 
ideal enough to make this fully practicable, and 
the line therefore that has been drawn around 
married people is both arbitrary and harmful 
to their best interests. A free interchange of 
social pleasures between both the married and 
the unmarried is essential to any degree of 
emotional balance. The alleged dangers lying 
in these associations are little enough in com- 
parison to the richness to be gained through the 
added variety and freedom. 



312 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

Many and subtle are the elements drawing 
men and women together, but none is so potent 
and inclusive as that of sex-love — a relation, by 
the way, which is comparatively recent in the 
history of the world, at least in the ideal sense 
in which we now conceive it. Let us analyze it 
a little, and we find its nucleus to be the attrac- 
tion or fascination usually called "physical" 
for lack of- any better name. It is, of course, 
the great animating sex-principle, without 
, which love is a mere shadow. Let us see now 
what emotions are most closely associated with 
and built upon this centre. 

To begin with there is the sentiment which 
we term Affection, a feeling that must be re- 
garded as an independent sentiment, as it can 
exist between those of the same sex; but one 
which in the love-relation is greatly exalted. It 
leads to tenderness, consideration and a desire 
to conserve the happiness of the one loved. 

Sex-love also awakens a feeling for personal 
beauty which includes a whole set of valuable 
and pleasurable emotions. Particularly is this 
true of the feeling entertained by men for the 



SEX 313 

women they love, which is as it should be since 
women's especial function is to represent the 
real principle of beauty. A man hitherto quite 
unconscious of the existence of beauty, finds 
himself aroused to a whole new series of per- 
ceptions under the influence of a sex attraction. 
All love that is worthy of the name includes 
the sentiments of admiration, respect, or rev- 
erence. These also are feelings which may exist 
outside Sex but which in this relation become 
in a high degree active. In the more intellec- 
tualized forms of love it is quite impossible for 
the sex-feeling to exist except in conjunction 
with sincere admiration or even adulation; and 
who has not revelled in the love of approbation 
that is thus satisfied! Being preferred above 
all others and by that one admired above all 
others, affords the deepest gratification possi- 
ble and lends a real support. Furthermore, to 
have succeeded in gaining such attachment 
from and sway over another is a proof of 
power and attractiveness which cannot fail to 
increase and sustain one's self-esteem. Noth- 
ing so elevates a man in his own opinion as to 



314 THE PSYCHOLOGY OP BEHAVIOUR 

have secured a response from the woman he 
values above all others. 

A common attribute of sex-love is the 'pro- 
prietary feeling, the pleasure of possession, the 
belonging to each other. Sometimes this emo- 
tion is so strong as to make for selfish isolation, 
a state particularly noticeable in the first be- 
ginnings of the relation and one which if in- 
dulged in too much soon destroys itself. It 
also nurses foolish jealousies and sometimes 
bondage and tyranny. 

This sense of " belonging, ' ' however, is 
closely allied to the extended sympathetic per- 
ception that comes from being able to unite 
one's self so closely with another. All pleas- 
ures are doubled by another 's sympathetic com- 
panionship, all sorrows assuaged by the same 
sense of sharing — it leads to, and has in it the 
possibilities of the finest kind of comradeship. 
There may even be a real mental affinity, though 
this seldom develops in a like degree with the 
emotional one. 

That real companionship is seldom attained 
in marriage is not due to an intrinsic barrier 



SEX 315 

in the relation, but to a lack of knowledge and 
appreciation of its true possibilities. Un- 
doubtedly the greatest pleasure in a true 
union is the intoxication ensuing upon the 
demolition of the barriers that naturally sur- 
round each human being. The greater the in- 
timacy the greater the concessions required, yet 
the sense of thus acquiring a greater liberty of 
action, of crossing the subtle boundaries which 
may not ordinarily be crossed, affords an in- 
tense gratification and relief from the feeling 
of personal isolation which for ever enfolds us. 

Beside and beyond all these feelings, there 
is at the root of all love-attractions and attach- 
ments, the unconscious search for an ideal, the 
quest of each soul for its mate, its completion 
and fulfilment. The hope is always that these 
wants may be realized in a single individual and 
throughout a whole lifetime — an ideal which 
puts a heavy responsibility, whether he will or 
no, on every person presuming to enter such 
a relationship. 

Much of the unhappiness in marriage 
might be avoided if so much were not ex- 



316 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

pected of it — if we could find somewhere 
the golden mean between excessive exactions 
and a demoralizing laxness. We long so much 
to concretize and personalize our Ideal that we 
forget that no one human being can be perfect 
enough to fulfil it. Yet the emotion which in- 
spires this search and thus dramatizes a real 
spiritual need is of the finest and should be 
safeguarded accordingly. 

To destroy faith and trust by a conscious be- 
trayal is universally conceded to be a heinous 
sin and opposed in its very nature to the in- 
tegrity which is the foundation of all love and 
friendship. But what is much more common, 
though less recognized, is the pain and disap- 
pointment consequent upon the failure of the 
loved one to live up to the expectations he or 
she originally created. However unreasonable 
it may be, it is a fact that more tragedies hang 
upon this unsatisfied desire than upon anything 
else in life. Perhaps in time, with a better 
emotional education, greater tolerance, and 
freer social conditions, we will be able to heal 
this demoralizing sorrow. 



SEX 317 

Occasionally we see love relations between 
the sexes that are entirely devoid of the sexual 
element, that is, in its recognized physical form. 
Owing to the comparative freedom from con- 
flict and intensity, there is a certain quiet com- 
radeship to be obtained from such a union 
not unlike that between friends of the same sex 5 
but there is no question that it lacks the 
sparkle and effervescence of the more complete 
union that has as its basis an expression of 
the creative fires. 

The distinctions between the emotional and 
the psychical phases of Sex are clear enough 
to the Psychologist but too subtle and intricate 
to be considered in detail here. Suffice it to 
say that the more attenuated and penetrating 
intermingling that takes place between two 
sensitives on the psychical plane establishes a 
more perfect polarity and represents the pro- 
gression of Sex into higher and still higher 
phases. Between people who have been in- 
timately connected there is a subtle alliance 
created that persists, as though they were for 
ever present each with the other. It is the 



318 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

indication of a greater degree of unity, though 
it does not always represent harmony. It may 
lead to the most exquisite delight or it may 
produce unutterable torture. 

The difference lies in whether the psychical 
closeness is supplemented by all the other ele- 
ments in the nature — if not, great discord is an 
almost certain result. It is possible, for in- 
stance, to find unity in a physical intercourse 
that does not include any other elements, and 
it is even possible to find points of emotional 
contact which are sufficient in themselves; but 
when the plane of psychical contact is reached, 
the capacity of the participants is greatly ex- 
tended and it is with great difficulty that one 
can escape its bonds. 

For this reason the greatest care should be 
taken that no psychic coalition should take 
place, unless one has absolute trust and confi- 
dence in one's mate, as well as a protecting 
measure of self-sufficiency. For it is like the 
mingling of liquids, once combined their identity 
is lost, they cannot again be withdrawn into 
their respective selves — at least not without an 



SEX 319 

elaborate process of mental alchemy not known 
to many. 

We often observe great friction and incom- 
patibility between people whose nearness to 
each other can be nothing bnt an irritation and 
pain ; yet they seem quite unable to .effect the 
separation that the circumstances would seem 
to require. We are often witness to attrac- 
tions of so violent a nature that they are in 
effect repulsions and yet the bond still holds. 
We can only conclude that somewhere in the 
nature a hold has been gained, and a psychic 
fusion consummated, which proves an irresisti- 
ble obstacle for the Will. Some hidden ele- 
ment is being satisfied even though everything 
in the conscious life is at war with it. 

Psychic unity often extends to the trans- 
ference of mental and physical qualities from 
one to the other, and occasionally disturbing 
physical symptoms are also transmitted so that 
each member of the pair becomes ill if the other 
is affected. Strange presentiments arise in re- 
lation to the one who may chance to be absent, 
and not infrequently his or her mental state, or 



320 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

even actions, may be photographed vividly on 
the mind of the other. All of these phenomena 
occur, at times, under other circumstances than 
those connected with physical intercourse, but 
they are nevertheless augmented by and very 
largely the result of commingling sex-forces. 

Another phase of the psychical union is the 
stimulation it affords the Imagination. Un- 
der proper and balanced conditions a stimula- 
tion of sex-passion will greatly increase the 
fecundity of the imagination — thus are pro- 
duced many of our finest works of art, music, 
and literature, all of which are creations, pure 
expressions of Sex. The transference of vari- 
ous talents may be deliberately effected in this 
manner by the initiated, so that a quite unpro- 
ductive person may suddenly give signs of the 
acquisition of new powers and capacities, such 
as writing poetry or accomplishing any other 
creative labour with unusual dispatch and abil- 
ity. 

The dangers of psychical sex-expression 
without any accompanying physical inter- 
change have already been touched upon in the 



SEX 321 

chapter on Imagination. The strange be- 
haviour of many poor unfortunates is all clearly 
accounted for when we understand the strong 
tendency of the Imagination to dwell upon 
erotic impulses, especially when deprived or 
limited in other ways. 

All intellectual companionships are the ex- 
pression of Sex on the mental plane. They are 
equally possible and even more common between 
those of the same sex as of the opposite one, 
the brain being in one case characteristically 
positive, in the other negative, irrespective of 
whether it is in a feminine or a masculine body. 
The combination of complementary forces on 
this plane is most stimulating and helpful, it 
is the basis of all real friendship and affords 
an opportunity not only for an exchange of 
ideas but actually creates and produces ideas. 
"Platonic" friendships come in this class, often 
affording a real satisfaction, though each one 
of them naturally contains the seeds of a more 
frankly sexual relationship and thus supplies, 
in addition, a certain zest, if not danger, to 
those concerned in it. 



322 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

The presence of a strongly creative nature 
in an intellectual company is sure to show itself 
by an emission of sparks from the mind, which 
tends to stimulate and draw a response from all 
those present. For this reason we are much 
better able to express ourselves in the presence 
of certain people than of others; ease takes 
the place of embarrassment when the creative 
forces are working well on the mental plane 
between those concerned. All intellectual 
achievements are the fruit of the hidden sex- 
life and represent a transmutation of creative 
energy from the physical to the mental plane. 

Sometimes this transfer may be so complete 
as to leave one physically depleted. "While the 
strongly intellectual nature is not necessarily 
cold, it often appears so by reason of the con- 
stant and habitual sublimation of its sex-force 
into more attenuated forms. As between men 
and women a strongly intellectual attachment 
does not as a rule demonstrate itself on 
the physical-emotional plane and vice versa — 
though, of course, the ideal for which we all 
strive is the complete unity of the two. 



SEX 323 

It only remains to speak of the soul-union, 
that strange and intoxicating transmission of 
the life-force that takes place between those 
who can meet on the spiritual plane. That 
such an achievement may be the direct outcome 
of a sex-union is among the secrets known only 
to those whose personal development has al- 
lowed them a glimpse of another plane of ex- 
perience, a state of consciousness which ap- 
proaches the cosmic. 

In its quality and extent every form of as- 
piration is the expression of a sex-yearning and 
in no better way can this realization of the 
superior forces of the universe be attained than 
through the spiritual union of aspiring lovers. 
Each carries, or gives, all that he has, or is, to 
the other. Each finds in the soul of his mate 
a certain completion for himself — indeed so 
complete is the absorption in a mystical union 
of this kind that the sense of self is entirely 
lost. There is a melting away of all the bar- 
riers and something of the meaning of uni- 
versality and transcendence is at least momen- 
tarily realized. It is the contention of some 



324 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

that such a union precludes the need of, or de- 
sire for, any contact on the physical plane, but 
except in extremely isolated cases, I see no 
signs as yet of our having outgrown the need 
and advantage of our physical selves. Sex is 
a force that lends lustre to all it touches — if it 
can glorify the mind and soul, why not the 
body also? 

The solution of the ever perplexing Sex prob- 
lem must of necessity be a personal one. There 
is no question but that the existing social order 
combats nature's greatest passion vigorously 
and relentlessly — more bruises, pains, sacri- 
fices, and tragedies are exacted of us here than 
anywhere. We feel the need of guarding this 
instinct — and we guard it so fiercely as to very 
nearly destroy ourselves. We hate repres- 
sion and we fear freedom, — but between the two 
we oscillate and strangle. We object to and see 
the folly of the i ' double standard, ' ' yet we are 
afraid of its only alternative — a greater free- 
dom for. women — knowing full well that man 
will not relinquish such as he already pos- 
sesses. We crave a means of limiting off- 



SEX 325 

spring and saving our women some of the bur- 
dens of excessive child-bearing — yet we dread 
the dissemination of the knowledge that would 
make this possible. We feel that woman should 
have a free and untrammelled choice of her 
mate, yet we hedge her about with every pre- 
caution and restraint, discourage her free 
association with men, and provide her with 
no means of economic independence. We 
shrink lest the taint of some sexual " perver- 
sion' ' or unmentionable disease shall touch us 
or those near to us, yet we sedulously secrete 
any knowledge we may possess on the subject, 
leading our children and young people to the 
very doors of fate and resigning them to it with 
scarce a qualm as to their utter and helpless 
ignorance. 

All these are social problems of the gravest 
import, about which the widest divergence of 
opinion is held. But may the day be hastened 
when we can attack these things fearlessly and 
strip Sex of the whole mass of conditions which 
are not truly germane to it — the day when 
women will be permitted more than the one 



326 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

virtue of sex-chastity, and when they are eman- 
cipated from an undesired maternity; when 
homo-sexuality, however unfortunate, is known 
to be neither a crime nor a disease ; when even 
marriage and divorce will not be matters of 
public grace or disgrace, but entirely personal 
voluntary concerns ; when the economic changes 
that are agitating the world today shall have re- 
solved themselves into constructive and stable 
elements ; and especially when women shall have 
been accorded the position of dignity and inde- 
pendence which they are now showing signs of 
being ready to fill — in that day truly we will 
be in sight of the millennium. 

Let us do our part in preparation for it by 
realizing that the Sex-instinct is the centre 
around which everything revolves, that noth- 
ing exists but through it. Sex is the great de- 
veloper of character, the great motive power 
behind work and play alike — activity of every 
sort. It lends strength to the Will, it warms 
and colours life with all that is beautiful and 
good. It is likewise the root of all religious 
feeling, in that it expresses the search for the 



SEX 327 

ideal and an aspiration for the highest ends to 
which man can reach, either in fact or in imag- 
ination. It is The Force — let us by so recog- 
nizing it fortify and prepare ourselves to grap- 
ple with and master it. 



CHAPTER VII 
SELF 

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE EGO 

Humak beings, outside of their physical bodies 
and simple mental attributes, are elusive, diffi- 
cult to account for — with all our analysis there 
is always a mysterious x somewhere in the com- 
position that seems to escape our most careful 
dissections. And pure science permits of the 
introduction of no mysticism into its sacred 
precincts — there all must be verifiable, proven, 
reduced to "facts." This is all necessary 
enough as a method and when confined to cer- 
tain domains or departments of human re- 
search, but it gives us no grasp at all when we 
come to look for some unifying element, the 
background or substance which we feel must 
lie behind all psychological phenomena. We 
seek reality — above all, we seek it in ourselves, 
in that spiritual entity forming the core of 
every life — but we do not find it in Science. 

328 



SELF 329 

We can only search within our own conscious- 
ness for what is ' i behind ' ' — and in some fortui- 
tous moments we are rewarded with a flash, an 
illuminating glimpse of that string upon which 
all the beads of our personality are hung. It 
is the Self, the indissoluble Ego, the Essence of 
all being. 

In a vague way man is always aware of 
himself, but his sense of Self increases grad- 
ually in proportion to his development until he 
recognizes an inner identity so permanent and 
cohesive as to withstand all the invasions and 
mutations of life and experience. So strong 
is this feeling that in most cases he is conscious 
of a great longing for, if not a certitude of, an 
indefinite continuation of himself in time. Be- 
lief in personal immortality is as old as the 
human race itself and as ineradicable, despite a 
discouraging lack of "proof." 

The "7" which constitutes the pivot of the 
universe for each one of us, is an indivisible 
monad, possessing an unchanging and inde- 
structible nature of its own. Around it are 
grouped many thoughts and feelings of vary- 



330 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

ing proportion and quality in each human be- 
ing, accretions that in their entirety make up 
the character or personality. We know the 
"I" as the basis, a reality, apart from the 
contents of the mind. We are conscious of 
perceptions, emotions, volitions, etc, but as 
compared with the Self, these things are objec- 
tive and mere accumulations. They may be 
said to constitute ''Personality" however, or 
the acquired qualities upon which Behaviour so 
largely depends. 

Personality is a universal characteristic 
shared in some degree by every one, it is subject 
to mutation and variation, and it can be de- 
veloped. The very origin of the word "per- 
sonal" indicates something assumed or put on, 
designating as it did the masks worn by the 
actors in the ancient plays. Personality is the 
colour, or dress, as it were, of the Ego. It 
varies according to the plane of development 
of the Ego and also changes with each experi- 
ence ; but it should not be confused with Individ- 
uality, which expresses the innateness of char- 
acter or the essence of selfhood. 



SELF 331 

Individuality is dependent on the timbre or 
vibratory quality that distinguishes each of 
us from the other and is not perceptibly al- 
tered throughout a lifetime, although we 
have reason to believe that it, too, is a liv- 
ing, growing thing, capable of infinite develop- 
ment. Personality is dependent upon many 
things — ancestry, influence of family and en- 
vironment, intelligence, education, ideals, ex- 
perience, physical semblance, manners — all 
go to make up a something which is too 
ethereal to define, yet which is clearly per- 
ceived by every one. It is a composite and 
fluid thing — and it expands as one's conscious- 
ness spreads out from the physical self to its 
appurtenances. One's clothes, manners and 
dwelling place are, for instance, an expression 
of one's personality; and the same may be said 
of one's friends, fortune, business, club, church 
and country. 

The trouble is that we take such a superficial 
view of life as a rule that we fail to see the 
inner life at all, either of others or ourselves. 
We should be able to pierce the outer coverings, 



332 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

not only such externalities as physical appear- 
ance, manner and dress, but even those 
mental guises assumed quite unconsciously by 
all of us. How often we are deceived by that 
which appears to be virtue, only to prove itself 
the very opposite. How seldom can we recog- 
nize and judge rightly of those soul qualities 
which alone distinguish a man for what he is 
rather than for what he seems to be. We are 
sadly in need of more thought and reflection as 
to the true nature of the Self and its function 
as the ultimate director of all our destinies. 

In some measure all are possessed of a self- 
feeling, but the real consciousness of Self comes 
only with maturity of mind and soul. The self- 
feeling pure and simple is an intellectualized 
form of the instinct of conservation — it is man 
at the point in his development where reflection 
first enters in to make him aware of his strength 
or weakness, or what he feels to be such. By 
providing him with a consciousness of his pow- 
ers it permits him somewhat of a true measure 
of his pretensions, so that his ambitions do not 
too far outrun his ability to materialize them. 



SELF 333 

The self-feeling is developed first through 
contact with our fellow men and especially 
through the intercourse afforded by language. 
Without language we should be mutually ex- 
clusive and impenetrable. With it each mind 
transcends its own limits and shares the minds 
of others. This enables one to gain a perspec- 
tive of one 's self and is therefore the beginning 
of the self -feeling as well as the social feeling. 

In the higher states this mental contact is en- 
hanced by the development of intuition and the 
various forms of psychic intercommunication 
that it affords — all of which serves under 
normal circumstances to increase the conscious- 
ness of Self. Unless very fundamental and 
well-developed however, the self-feeling is de- 
pendent on the approbation of others and is im- 
paired by criticism or fear of blame. This is 
the mark of the undeveloped Ego and the cause 
of much weakness and unhappiness. A com- 
fortable feeling of self-sufficiency accompanies 
a true amour-propre, which implies that the 
Ego is a well organized unit and not to be dis- 
turbed by externalities. 



334 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

The self -feeling has two clearly defined forms, 
the positive one which may be called pride, lead- 
ing to strength, courage, and aggression. The 
negative form, or humility, leads mostly to 
weakness and impotence but is nevertheless an 
expression of the consciousness of Self. Cour- 
age is man's greatest virtue, Nietzsche has told 
us ; and as its very foundation is this same sense 
of Self, it is plain to see the reason of the dif- 
ference in the attack made by different people 
upon life. But true courage as well as true un- 
selfishness grows out of a recognition of the 
"I" rather than the "me" — it is impersonal, 
not personal. 

In its excessive or pathological forms the 
self -feeling becomes anti-social and destructive 
in its nature, forming some of the many well 
defined disturbances of the personality. When 
it is an exaggeration of the importance of the 
self (the little one, not the big one) it is called 
megalomania and leads to ruthlessness and 
cruelty. Or it may take the apparently nega- 
tive but equally destructive form of self-pity, a 



SELF 335 

desire to attract attention by playing Upon the 
sympathy or tenderness of others. 

The personality is indeed subject to many 
diseases. The widespread " mental-nervous " 
afflictions of the day are all derangements of 
the personality, due mostly to the high living 
and great waste of vitality which is character- 
istic of our race and time — all making for 
" nervousness' ' or disintegration. There are 
other causes more obscure and fundamental, 
having to do with the incarnation of the Ego in 
its physical body. Even in persons who appear 
quite normal this occult process is sometimes 
incomplete, making any thorough co-ordination 
between the several planes of expression diffi- 
cult or impossible. Even such intricate prob- 
lems as this can be overcome, however, by cer- 
tain methods of re-integration on the psychic 
plane. 

The greatest danger to the personality is 
that of dissociation. In its extreme form we 
have multiple or alternating personalities, 
where one phase emerges with such strength 



336 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

and vividness as to temporarily, or perhaps for 
a long period of time, entirely eclipse the oth- 
ers. The chapter on Repressions suggested 
some of the most frequent causes of this patho- 
logical condition, but a quite common and 
normal cause arises from the tendency inher- 
ent in all of us to show only single phases of 
ourselves to different people. Thus one friend 
draws out the gay and flippant side, another 
knows us only as serious and philosophical, still 
another may arouse a subconscious resentment 
or antagonism, while in the presence of certain 
people we are sure to be both thoughtful and 
tender. These variations are inevitable of 
course, and lend both colour and charm to life ; 
but if each aspect is too long continued in its 
separate groove, we are apt to have a phase of 
dissociation which may result disastrously. 
Thus a man who is persistently of one type and 
character in his business relations may in the 
bosom of his family show quite another self — 
too often a less attractive one, I fear. 

Disintegration is the logical outcome of dis- 
sociation and other negative disturbances of 



SELF 337 

the personality. In its most serious and final 
form it results in insanity or suicide. All the 
stages from simple day-dreaming and fits of 
" abstraction " to violent madness are but dis- 
turbances of the Ego, and with our present 
knowledge of its psychology, much pain and 
calamity can be averted by proper treatment 
and re-integration. The fatal impulse to sui- 
cide which is characteristic of some tempera- 
ments and against which they may have to fight 
a whole lifetime, is due primarily to a weakened 
sense of Self. Whether deliberate or involun- 
tary, it represents a struggle between the 
natural instinct of conservation and a feeling 
that life is insupportable and not worth while. 
It is not, to my mind, a moral matter — every 
human being has the inalienable right to do 
with his life as he pleases; but it is sad in- 
deed, because so unnecessary and so contrary 
to the law of progression through experience, 
to find the sense of Self so deficient as to lead 
to the very negation of life itself. The self- 
assertive person feels his power; the more 
negative character, or one rendered so by the 



338 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

separation and conflict between various phases 
in his own personality, delivers himself over 
to a feeling of weakness, denying Self at its 
very source, and thus defeats the purpose of 
his existence here. 

We have in the previous chapters analyzed 
the principal forces at work in the human mind. 
Let us now suppose a personality made up of 
these different elements that is so well-propor- 
tioned and blended as to be ideal in character. 
Above all it would represent balance and poise 
— traits that can be acquired in no other way 
than by a proper fusion and equilibrium be- 
tween Will, Intellect, Emotion and all the other 
ingredients that go to make up a personality. 
If the Will, for instance, is too strong in pro- 
portion, the nature is hard, over-bearing, and 
insistent; if the Intellect predominates, it is 
cold, dry, and critical; and if Emotions are in 
the ascendancy, it is soft, vague, and impulsive. 
"When, however, all these attributes are united 
and balanced there is strength, brilliance, and 
beauty. 

Next to balance let us place the sense of Self 



SELF 339 

as the most essential foundation of character. 
Without self-knowledge the finest qualities are 
of little advantage or utility. There must be 
an awareness of power and a belief in it ; there 
must be a well-integrated consciousness equally 
active on the three planes of being, i.e., the 
spiritual, mental, and physical. 

With this as a background we have, first, the 
positive element of the Will lending force, in- 
tegrity, and executiveness to the character — it 
forms the "backbone,' ' without which our ideal 
would be a spineless phantom: next, the Emo- 
tions supplying warmth, colour, passion and 
propulsion — foremost among which is Sex with 
its creativeness, and all the sensibilities that 
make for fineness; then Imagination with its 
touch of light and aspiration over all — for the 
character that has not its moments of flight and 
speculation, that cannot drift at times from the 
moorings of the Will into reverie and medita- 
tion, is indeed dull and sodden. 

But added to all this there must be the tem- 
pering and guiding influence of the Intellect, the 
mechanism by which the sense of Self is raised 



340 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

into real objectivity and the deep impulses are 
formed and co-ordinated into a definite focus. 
With intellectual activity comes the pursuit of 
Truth for its own sake, research, and the ac- 
quisition of knowledge — all of which act as 
screens upon which are thrown images of that 
reality which would otherwise remain for ever 
concealed within. With a true consciousness 
of Self, the high moral attitude that lifts the 
character out of inferiority or mediocrity is 
an inevitable sequence. So too comes a cer- 
tainty of power, a knowledge of latent depths 
and how to use them, and a keenness of percep- 
tion approaching divination. In short the 
ideal character is the all-inclusive one which 
has welcomed its experience, digested it thor- 
oughly, and given back to the world and its 
Source the full extent of that which it was 
created to convey. 

To be sure, so complete a personality is sel- 
dom if ever met with. v Life is made up of off- 
shoots and bypaths, and most people are one- 
sided and unfinished. We swing first in one 
direction and then the other, gathering strength 



SELF 341 

from both our successes and our failures. 
Naturally our enterprises increase as the arc 
of our consciousness expands — and vice versa. 

Sometimes the Intellect outruns the moral 
sense in its development and we have clever- 
ness, brilliance, " success " without a corre- 
sponding elevation in the emotional and spirit- 
ual phases; or again we have aspiration and 
"saintliness" combined with mental and physi- 
cal weakness. Very often too, a personality 
"breaks down" or disintegrates, through the 
buffetings of life — though we know that the 
Self remains intact throughout all experience. 

Undoubtedly the purpose of experience is to 
enable the Self to anneal all the elements of life 
into a unity. Experience may come in two 
ways ; either it precedes perception, the knowl- 
edge and awareness of a thing coming only 
after it has been brought to consciousness by 
actual facts or a "living through" it — thus 
practical experience leads in time to the form- 
ulation of theories, the discovery of laws. Or, 
perception may precede experience, the con- 
sciousness being enabled by some kind of in- 



342 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

tuition to pierce the barriers of ignorance that 
surround it and knowledge is obtained as in a 
vision which may later be put to the test of ap- 
plication — thus do the dreamers work. Usually 
experience forms the text-book of life, of 
which reflection is the commentary. We learn 
to know of things, really, through touching 
them, but their true significance is borne in 
upon us later by the judgments of the Intel- 
lect and perceptive powers of the mind. A per- 
sonality is, therefore, very much coloured, first, 
by the extent of its experience; and second, by 
its emotional reactions, or the amount of 
thought and contemplation bestowed upon that 
experience. 

The question of how personalities come to be 
what they are is, it seems to me, very largely 
one of the Self. We know, of course, the power 
of inheritance, but that which is inherited is 
after all only a tendency, due to the fact that 
Habits in one generation become Instincts in the 
next. There are too many variations in the 
law of heredity to make it a satisfactory and 
inclusive explanation of the wide varieties of 



SELF 343 

types and the many exceptions to be observed 
on every hand. 

Undoubtedly there is in the Self a qual- 
ity like that of a magnet which attracts to 
it certain and definite experiences and which 
as surely excludes others. Lives begun under 
the same influences become so divergent 
that we are forced to look very deep within 
for the determining forces. Thus one life 
follows lines of quietude and serenity with 
little to break or mar it either within or with- 
out ; while another contains some mysterious but 
fiery spark that attracts a wide range of ex- 
perience, great contrasts, constant movement. 
Always the Self is behind these deviations, 
drawing with unerring knowledge that which 
best conserves its own purposes and welfare. 

Also in considering the Self as an entity, 
we must not forget that each one has some end 
to which he alone is adapted — his quality and 
his idiosyncrasies distinguish him from every 
other particle in the universe and render him 
an essential part of the whole. To those whose 
tendency is toward self-depreciation, this 



344 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

thought is especially valuable. However tied 
one's hands may seem to be, however many 
limitations one battles against, we should never 
forget the necessity and the indestructibility of 
the Self. 

I will now consider rather briefly a few prin- 
cipal types of personality. There is the ancient 
classification which was originally physiological 
but has been more or less used in a psycho- 
logical sense as well. This consists of the 
Sanguine temperament, reputed to be light, ver- 
satile, optimistic, and superficial; the Melan- 
cholic, which is deep, self -involved, hesitating; 
the Choleric, the intense, active nature with 
great imagination and tenacious passions, and 
the Lymphatic which is soft and slow, with not 
much initiative, but great dependability. 

These of course, are very general types ad- 
mitting of endless admixtures. There is for in- 
stance the distinctly unstable personality which 
has no special form of its own, takes on the 
characteristics of its environment, is largely 
the product of its circumstances, and plastic to 
excess. 



SELF 345 

There is another large class quite distinct 
from this, with much more intelligence and 
strength but which yet suffers from a form of 
instability — they are the sensitives — emotional 
and impressionable in the extreme, like delicate 
instruments in a perpetual state of vibration. 
In spite of well-developed Intellects their life 
is mainly subjective. They form a large pro- 
portion of the well known "nervous" tempera- 
ments, are often inclined to pessimism, and are 
especially liable to the maladies incident to a 
disturbed personality. 

Then there are those who are instinctively 
and unceasingly active, exuberant, over-flowing 
with energy. Feeling their strength they are 
usually optimistic, gay, enterprising, bold; but 
unless characterized also by unusual intelli- 
gence, lack in the necessary steadiness and re- 
serve. 

In many ways, however, the active ones are 
like the emotional type, which is quick, volatile, 
acts upon impulse and is guided largely by in- 
tuition. It is attractive, possesses warm and 
intense feelings, but does not always sustain 



346 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

them. Its activity lias its own special charac- 
teristic of being intermittent or spasmodic, 
arising as it does from strong emotions and not 
from permanent reserves of energy. It is in- 
dolent and energetic by turns and requires peri- 
ods of solitude in which to recover after its 
characteristic and impetuous outbursts. To 
this group belong most of the artists and cre- 
ative workers, who accomplish things by " in- 
spiration' ' or unconscious impulse; then under- 
going periods of exhaustion and impotence. 
Because more marked in its characteristics this 
type is frequently said to have " temperament " 
— the word really conveying our idea of the 
crescendo that is characteristic of any vivid 
personality. 

In contrast to all this is the lymphatic tem- 
perament, distinguished by a certain apathy 
tending to inertia; they are indifferent rather 
than plastic. When the intelligence is low they 
are sluggish and incapable; with a high degree 
of Intellect they evince the greatest reliability 
and because of the absence of excitability are 
able to plan and calculate to great advantage. 



SELF 347' 

They may have very deep feelings, but do not 
show them; and they cannot be moved or per- 
suaded by external influences. They are more 
often contemplative than active, and constitute 
what may be called the moral temperaments — 
may even become stoics. 

Much unhappiness could be avoided if we 
would only permit people the luxury of their 
own peculiarities and not desire so ardently to 
make them over according to our own mould. 
This world would be a poor place without the 
stimulus of diversity, yet each one of us in- 
stinctively desires to make it all over on his 
own pattern. If this constructive impulse were 
devoted to making ourselves over, seeking a 
rounded development inclusive of all types and 
temperaments, things would be better. 

Each man's gait, look and behaviour re- 
veals all his private history — these things 
are a kaleidoscopic commentary on his 
age, station and quality; they change as he 
changes, and can be neither hurried nor delayed. 
If he accepts a new fact or truth and acts upon 
it, it is because he is ready for it, and cannot 



348 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEHAVIOUR 

be denied; if he passes by with eyes closed he 
has only published his immaturity. 

The antiquity of the soul, or how many forms 
it has ascended through, cannot be concealed. 
Elevation of character, graciousness of man- 
ner, poise and balance, strength and power, are 
all unerring indicators of how far one has pro- 
gressed in life's unending cycle. 

That this passage of the soul through eternity 
may be accelerated by man's own awakening 
consciousness of Self, all nature conspires to 
tell us. Self -culture, in its true sense, that is, 
for high ends, is man's most noble occupation. 

"A great Idealist never can be egotistic," 
says Buskin. ' ' The whole of his power depends 
upon his losing sight and feeling of his own ex- 
istence, and becoming a mere witness and 
mirror of truth, and a scribe of visions — always 
passive in sight, passive in utterance, lament- 
ing continually that he cannot completely reflect 
nor clearly utter all he has seen — not by any 
means a proud state for a man to be in. It is 
the man who has no invention who is always 
setting things in order, and putting the world 



SELF 349 

to rights, and mending, and beautifying, and 
pluming himself on his doings, as supreme in 
all ways." 

Hence, the culture of the Self lifts one above 
all pettiness, minimizes the importance of the 
personal "me," and supplies an impregnable 
support. It provides a perception of the in- 
exhaustibleness of nature — which is the secret 
of immortal youth. It obliterates the sense of 
struggle, wipes out convulsions, despair, and the 
gnashing of teeth — in short, it is the only path 
to liberation and high behaviour. 



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